| Kathleen, do you remember this shameful moment in American history? 
9 years ago, former Republican Senator Jim Inhofe infamously held a snowball on the floor of the U.S. Senate as he argued that climate change is a hoax. It's perhaps the most notorious example of American political leaders denying climate change in recent memory.
But you probably don't know who the woman sitting behind Senator Inhofe is.
At the time, Mandy Gunasekara was an aide to Senator Inhofe — later, she was appointed to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) where she was the "chief architect" of the Trump Administration's withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement.
Today, she's playing a leading role in promoting the fossil fuel industry's newest tool to hold the U.S. back from a just transition to a more sustainable future: Bitcoin mining.
Greenpeace USA just released a scathing new report exposing the deep ties between right-wing climate deniers, the fossil fuel industry, and the growing lobbying network pushing a plan to save dirty coal and gas plants with Bitcoin — click here to read it! Why Bitcoin? Bitcoin mining operations (basically, giant warehouses full of specialized computers guessing numbers 24/7 — yes, it's absurd) require massive amounts of electricity (altogether, more than some countries!), and the majority of that electricity comes from oil, coal, and gas.
In the years since China banned crypto mining in 2021, energy-hungry Bitcoin mining operations have flourished across the U.S., and the result is a lifeline to the fossil fuel industry: once-shuttered coal and gas plants have actually been reopened to serve Bitcoin's insatiable electricity demand.
A new analysis from the Biden Administration suggests that cryptocurrency mining now represents up to 2.3% of ALL electricity consumption in the United States.
But despite Bitcoin mining's destructive impact on American communities — from air and noise pollution to strained electrical grids — a well-funded nationwide lobbying network with ties to conservative think tanks, policy networks, and right-wing politicians has kept regulation and oversight to a minimum.
When the Biden Administration recently asked Bitcoin mining companies to disclose how much electricity they're using, the Bitcoin mining lobby joined together to sue the Biden Administration and delay disclosure.
Kathleen, read our new report exposing the revolving door between the Bitcoin mining industry, conservative think tanks, the Trump administration, and the fossil fuel industry: Ms. Gunasekara once called former President Trump "the greatest president in modern history," and is a member of a climate misinformation group funded by the Koch brothers' network. It's no surprise that Bitcoin mining advocacy groups like hers have taken a page from Big Oil's playbook to promote greenwashing and downplay environmental and public health risks.
Together, we must shine a light on the polluting Bitcoin mining industry's growing climate and community impacts and demand both transparency and accountability.
In solidarity,
Erik Kojola
Senior Climate Research Specialist, Greenpeace USA |
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