Request for Information on the Energy and Climate Implications of Digital Assets, 17105-17107 [2022-06284]
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Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 58 / Friday, March 25, 2022 / Notices
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CONTACT PERSON FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Kaitlin D. Brown, Executive and Board
Project Coordinator, at (202) 295–1555.
Questions may also be sent by electronic
mail to brownk@lsc.gov.
Dated: March 22, 2022.
Kaitlin D. Brown,
Executive and Board Project Coordinator,
Legal Services Corporation.
[FR Doc. 2022–06391 Filed 3–23–22; 11:15 am]
BILLING CODE 7050–01–P
NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
Agency Information Collection
Activities: Comment Request; Account
Management Profile
National Science Foundation.
Notice.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
The National Science
Foundation (NSF) is announcing plans
to establish this collection. In
accordance with the requirements of the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we
are providing opportunity for public
comment on this action. After obtaining
and considering public comment, NSF
will prepare the submission requesting
Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) clearance of this collection for no
longer than 3 years.
DATES: Written comments on this notice
must be received by May 24, 2022 to be
assured consideration. Comments
received after that date will be
considered to the extent practicable.
Send comments to address below.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Suzanne H. Plimpton, Reports Clearance
Officer, National Science Foundation,
lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1
SUMMARY:
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18:07 Mar 24, 2022
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2415 Eisenhower Avenue, Alexandria,
Virginia 22314; telephone (703) 292–
7556; or send email to splimpto@
nsf.gov. Individuals who use a
telecommunications device for the deaf
(TDD) may call the Federal Information
Relay Service (FIRS) at 1–800–877–
8339, which is accessible 24 hours a
day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year
(including Federal holidays).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title of Collection: Account
Management Profile.
OMB Control No.: 3145–New.
Expiration Date of Approval: Not
applicable.
Abstract: The purpose of the National
Science Foundation’s (NSF) Account
Profile is to collect information (contact,
demographics, professional and
academic references) on Research.gov.
This profile will assist the NSF in
maintaining a centralized registration
and profile management process for
individuals. NSF may track information
provided over time to review and
evaluate NSF programs, facilitate
proposal submission, simplify reviewer
activities, and provide data for the
selection and management of reviewers
and related merit review functions.
Collecting this information supports the
program officers across each directorate
by improving efficiencies for internal
staff, leveraging consolidated profile
data, and creating a seamless user
experience for the scientific community.
This process will also provide
researchers with a consolidated profile
and access to their information in the
Research.gov system, with the ability to
easily access and update their
information as necessary. In addition,
the Biden Administration has made it a
priority to deliver services more
equitably and effectively via Executive
Order 14058, Transforming Federal
Customer Experience and Service
Delivery to Rebuild Trust in
Government. The President directed
heads of agencies to integrate activities
to improve customer experience and
identify means by which their
respective agencies can improve
transparency and accessibility for their
customers. This expansion effort will
allow users to self-report demographic
and professional information over time
that will enable program officials to
select diverse panels and expand
opportunities to increase participation
from underrepresented groups and
diverse institutions throughout the
United States in all NSF activities and
programs.
Respondents: Researchers and
administrative support professionals.
Estimated Number of Annual
Respondents: 565,146.
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17105
Burden on the Public: Estimated 5
minutes to fill out the contact,
demographics, professional and
academic information, including the
collection of data to fill in the fields.
This assumption includes users who
have filled out information in the past
and do not wish to update their
information. The demographic
information should be readily available
as the selection fields are available on
Research.gov today and the professional
information can be gathered from
external data sources. The estimated
burden time is 47,095 hours.
Dated: March 22, 2022.
Suzanne H. Plimpton,
Reports Clearance Officer, National Science
Foundation.
[FR Doc. 2022–06347 Filed 3–24–22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7555–01–P
OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND
TECHNOLOGY POLICY
Request for Information on the Energy
and Climate Implications of Digital
Assets
Office of Science and
Technology Policy (OSTP).
ACTION: Notice of Request for
Information on the Energy and Climate
Implications of Digital Assets.
AGENCY:
The United States is
committed to combatting the climate
crisis and reaching net-zero greenhouse
gas emissions no later than 2050. On
March 9, 2022, President Biden signed
an Executive Order on Ensuring
Responsible Development of Digital
Assets, which outlines a whole-ofgovernment strategy to harness the
benefits and mitigate the risks of digital
assets, including the implications for
energy use and the climate. The
Executive Order tasked the White House
Office of Science and Technology Policy
(OSTP) to submit a report to the
President that examines the potential for
digital assets to impede or advance
efforts to tackle climate change and the
transition to a clean and reliable
electricity grid. As OSTP conducts this
examination, it invites comments from
interested stakeholders, including the
public. In particular, this RFI seeks
comments on the protocols, hardware,
resources, economics, and other factors
that shape the energy use and climate
impacts of all types of digital assets. It
also seeks comment on attempts to
mitigate climate harms and reduce
energy use associated with digital
assets, potential energy or climate
benefits from digital assets and
opportunities for natural asset or
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\25MRN1.SGM
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17106
Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 58 / Friday, March 25, 2022 / Notices
emissions accounting, likely future
developments or industry trajectories
related to digital assets, and
implications that digital assets have for
U.S. policy including as it relates to
electricity grid reliability and
greenhouse gas intensity.
DATES: Interested persons and
organizations are invited to submit
comments on or before 5:00 p.m. ET on
May 9, 2022.
ADDRESSES: Interested individuals and
organizations should submit comments
electronically to DigitalAssetsRFI@
ostp.eop.gov and include < RFI
Response: Climate Implications of
Digital Assets > in the subject line of the
email. Due to time constraints, mailed
paper submissions will not be accepted,
and electronic submissions received
after the deadline cannot be ensured to
be incorporated or taken into
consideration.
Instructions: Response to this RFI is
voluntary. Each responding entity
(individual or organization) is requested
to submit only one response.
Responses may address one or as
many topics as desired from the
enumerated list provided in this RFI,
noting the corresponding number of the
topic(s) to which the response pertains.
Submissions must not exceed 10 pages
(exclusive of cover page) in 11-point or
larger font, with a page number
provided on each page. Responses
should include the name of the
person(s) or organization(s) filing the
comment, as well as the respondent
type (e.g., academic institution,
advocacy group, professional society,
community-based organization,
industry, member of the public,
government, other). Respondent’s role
in the organization may also be
provided (e.g., researcher, administrator,
student, program manager, journalist)
on a voluntary basis. Comments
containing references, studies, research,
and other empirical data that are not
widely published should include copies
or electronic links of the referenced
materials; these materials, as well as a
list of references, do not count toward
the 10-page limit. No business
proprietary information, copyrighted
information, or personally identifiable
information (aside from that requested
above) should be submitted in response
to this RFI. Comments submitted in
response to this RFI may be posted on
OSTP’s website or otherwise released
publicly.
In accordance with Federal
Acquisitions Regulations Systems
15.202(3), responses to this notice are
not offers and cannot be accepted by the
Federal Government to form a binding
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16:50 Mar 24, 2022
Jkt 256001
contract. Additionally, those submitting
responses are solely responsible for all
expenses associated with response
preparation.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For
additional information, please direct
questions to Nik Marda at 202–456–
4444 or DigitalAssetsRFI@ostp.eop.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background: Climate change is one of
the most pressing problems confronting
our nation and our world, which is why
President Biden has committed to
cutting U.S. greenhouse gas pollution by
50–52% by 2030, advancing
environmental justice, and having a netzero emissions economy by 2050.
Building on the historic progress on
climate action that President Biden
achieved in his first year in office, the
President’s plan to achieve those goals
includes improving energy efficiency,
deploying a record amount of new
carbon-free energy sources, and
advancing clean energy innovation.
The explosive growth of the digital
asset ecosystem may contribute to
greater energy use and negatively
impact the climate. Many digital assets,
including cryptocurrencies, use
decentralized consensus mechanisms as
opposed to a central authority to verify
transactions. While different digital
asset systems use different consensus
mechanisms, many use ‘‘proof of work’’
based systems that require significant
amounts of computing power and
electricity, often derived from carbonintensive sources. Some researchers
estimate that cryptocurrencies use more
electricity each year than many
individual countries in the world,
including some industrialized nations.
Thus, digital assets may present a key
environmental challenge at a time when
we need to shift to carbon-free sources
in order to combat climate change. On
the other hand, digital assets might also
have a positive impact on the climate.
For example, they may provide new
opportunities in carbon accounting and
verification, increasing trust in carbon
measurement and creating a novel
opportunity for addressing climate
change.
Recognizing these climate risks, other
risks, and potential benefits of digital
assets, President Biden signed Executive
Order (E.O.) 14067: Ensuring
Responsible Development of Digital
Assets on March 9, 2022, to outline a
whole-of-government strategy on digital
assets. Pursuant to E.O. 14067, OSTP,
and its partners from the Executive
Office of the President and Federal
agencies, are examining the connections
between distributed ledger technology
and energy transitions, the potential for
PO 00000
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Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
these technologies to impede or advance
efforts to tackle climate change at home
and abroad, and the impacts these
technologies have on the environment.
This RFI seeks public input to better
understand the climate impacts of
digital assets. In particular, this RFI
seeks comments on the protocols,
hardware, resources, economics, and
other factors that shape the energy use
and climate impacts of all types of
digital assets. It also seeks comment on
attempts to mitigate climate harms and
reduce energy use associated with
digital assets, potential energy or
climate benefits from digital assets and
opportunities for natural asset or
emissions accounting, likely future
developments or industry trajectories
related to digital assets, and
implications that digital assets have for
U.S. policy including as it relates to
electricity grid reliability and
greenhouse gas intensity. These
comments will inform a report to the
President on the climate impacts of
digital assets.
Terminology: The terms blockchain,
central bank digital currency,
cryptocurrencies, digital assets, and
stablecoins, have the definitions
provided in Section 9 of E.O. 14067.
Scope: OSTP invites input from
interested stakeholders, including
academic researchers and policy
analysts; technical practitioners
specializing in digital ledger
technologies; civil society and advocacy
groups; individuals and organizations
who work on environmental issues;
industry and industry association
groups; Federal entities and employees;
State, local, tribal, territorial, and
foreign governments; and members of
the public.
Information Requested: Respondents
may provide information for one or as
many topics below as they choose.
1. Protocols: Information on the
climate impacts of the protocols used by
digital assets. This includes the effect of
cryptocurrencies’ consensus
mechanisms on energy usage, as well as
potential mitigating measures and
alternative mechanisms of consensus
and the design tradeoffs those may
entail. For example, many digital
assets—including those that make use of
smart contracts—use or are looking into
less energy-intensive consensus
mechanisms than ‘‘proof of work.’’
Information is sought related to the
benefits and drawbacks of those
alternative mechanisms, as well as their
different energy consumption profiles.
2. Hardware: Information about the
climate impacts from the physical
components that run the protocols for
digital assets. This includes the
E:\FR\FM\25MRN1.SGM
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lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1
Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 58 / Friday, March 25, 2022 / Notices
embodied emissions of specialized
hardware and cooling equipment used
to mine certain cryptocurrencies, as
well as the waste generated from this
equipment needing to be replaced
frequently due to rapidly improving
mining equipment. This also includes
potential mitigating measures and
technology improvements to reduce the
environmental impact from hardware
usage.
3. Resources: Information about the
resources used to sustain and power
digital assets. This includes the
electricity that powers mining rigs and
the water used to cool those operations,
as well as potential mitigating measures
to reduce the amount of electricity and
water used. This also includes
quantitative estimates of the total
amounts of these resources used by
particular types of digital assets, or by
the digital asset ecosystem at large. This
also includes information concerning
whether the costs of resources used are
borne equitably across society or are
disproportionately borne by historically
disadvantaged communities.
4. Economics: Information about how
the energy use of digital assets is
affected by the value of, demand for,
and supply of particular digital assets or
their underlying infrastructure. This
includes the environmental and
infrastructural effects from
cryptocurrency miners moving to areas
with cheaper electricity, as well as the
incentives that exist for cryptocurrency
miners to use renewable energy sources
for mining. This also includes
information about impacts on the
electric grid and about the need for
potential incremental grid investments,
along with the impacts on electricity
bills for customers near or in affected
service territories.
5. Past or ongoing mitigation
attempts: Information about past or
ongoing attempts to mitigate negative
climate impacts of digital assets. This
includes voluntary industry efforts, and
cryptocurrencies that are changing their
consensus mechanism in order to
reduce their energy usage. This also
includes climate-focused and energy
efficiency regulation or standards efforts
by State, local, territorial, tribal, federal,
or foreign governments.
6. Potential energy or climate benefits:
Information about how digital assets can
potentially yield positive energy or
climate impacts. This includes potential
uses of blockchain that could support
monitoring or mitigating technologies to
climate impacts, such as opportunities
for natural asset or emissions
accounting, as well as the exchanging of
liabilities for greenhouse gas emissions,
water, and other natural or
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16:50 Mar 24, 2022
Jkt 256001
environmental assets. This also includes
specific approaches to increase the
likelihood of direct climate or emissions
benefits from digital assets, or
associated grid services that indirectly
lead to climate or emissions benefits.
Furthermore, information is sought
supporting or rebutting claims made by
some proponents of cryptocurrencies
that the energy used by mining
cryptocurrencies is a net climate
positive, either because it occurs during
demand lulls or because it increases
demand for renewable electricity
sources.
7. Likely future developments or
industry trajectories: Information about
likely future developments or industry
trajectories that would have
implications for the future climate
impacts of digital assets. This includes
expected future developments in
protocols, hardware, resources, and
economics. Where possible, please
describe the expected timescale for
likely future developments.
8. Implications for U.S. policy:
Information about how the climate
impacts of digital assets might have
implications for U.S. policy. This
includes implications for energy policy,
including as it relates to grid
management and reliability, energy
efficiency incentives and standards,
sources of energy supply, greenhouse
gas intensity, and the transition to a netzero emissions economy by 2050.
9. Other information: Any other
information, not covered above, that is
relevant for understanding the climate
impacts of digital assets.
Dated: March 21, 2022.
Stacy Murphy,
Operations Manager.
[FR Doc. 2022–06284 Filed 3–24–22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3270–F2–P
SURFACE TRANSPORTATION BOARD
[Docket No. FD 36591]
Louisville & Indiana Railroad
Company—Acquisition and Operation
Exemption—Southern Indiana Railway,
Inc.
The Louisville & Indiana Railroad
Company (LIRC), a Class III railroad, has
filed a verified notice of exemption
under 49 CFR 1150.41 to enter into an
asset purchase agreement (Purchase
Agreement) with Southern Indiana
Railway, Inc. (SIND), for LIRC to acquire
and operate a rail corridor from north of
the intersection of ‘‘highway 403’’ at
Speed (SIND Speed Property) southerly
to a connection with a rail line of CSX
Transportation, Inc., at Watson Junction,
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Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
17107
all in Clark County, Ind. The Purchase
Agreement also covers yard tracks
located on the real property of Lehigh
Cement in Speed, north of SIND Speed
Property (the above described assets
subject to the Purchase Agreement are
referred to collectively as the Line).
According to LIRC, the Line is
approximately 7.41 miles in length.1
The verified notice states that LIRC will
become the operator of the Line upon
the exemption’s effective date.
LIRC certifies that the Purchase
Agreement does not contain any
provision that may limit future
interchange with a third-party
connecting carrier. LIRC further certifies
that its projected annual revenues as a
result of this transaction will not result
in LIRC’s becoming a Class II or Class
I rail carrier. Pursuant to 49 CFR
1150.42(e), if a carrier’s projected
annual revenues will exceed $5 million,
it must, at least 60 days before the
exemption becomes effective, post a
notice of its intent to undertake the
proposed transaction at the workplace
of the employees on the affected lines,
serve a copy of the notice on the
national offices of the labor unions with
employees on the affected lines, and
certify to the Board that it has done so.
However, LIRC’s verified notice
includes a request for waiver of the 60day advance labor notice requirements.
LIRC’s waiver request will be addressed
in a separate decision. The Board will
establish the effective date of the
exemption in its separate decision on
the waiver request.
If the verified notice contains false or
misleading information, the exemption
is void ab initio. Petitions to revoke the
exemption under 49 U.S.C. 10502(d)
may be filed at any time. The filing of
a petition to revoke will not
automatically stay the effectiveness of
the exemption. Petitions for stay must
be filed no later than April 1, 2022.
All pleadings, referring to Docket No.
FD 36591, should be filed with the
Surface Transportation Board via efiling on the Board’s website. In
addition, one copy of each pleading
must be served on LIRC’s representative,
Rose-Michele Nardi, Baker & Miller
PLLC, Suite 300, 2401 Pennsylvania
Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20037.
According to LIRC, this action is
categorically excluded from
1 LIRC states that this mileage number comes
from Southern Indiana Railway—Acquisition, FD
12551 (ICC served Feb. 7, 1940). LIRC further states
that its intention is to acquire SIND’s rights to the
entire rail corridor described in the 1940 decision,
and that, to the extent that yard and ancillary tracks
are subject to 49 U.S.C. 10906, LIRC’s request for
authority to acquire the Line is not intended to
convert any such track into common carrier track
subject to 49 U.S.C. 10901.
E:\FR\FM\25MRN1.SGM
25MRN1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 58 (Friday, March 25, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17105-17107]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-06284]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY
Request for Information on the Energy and Climate Implications of
Digital Assets
AGENCY: Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP).
ACTION: Notice of Request for Information on the Energy and Climate
Implications of Digital Assets.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The United States is committed to combatting the climate
crisis and reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions no later than
2050. On March 9, 2022, President Biden signed an Executive Order on
Ensuring Responsible Development of Digital Assets, which outlines a
whole-of-government strategy to harness the benefits and mitigate the
risks of digital assets, including the implications for energy use and
the climate. The Executive Order tasked the White House Office of
Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) to submit a report to the
President that examines the potential for digital assets to impede or
advance efforts to tackle climate change and the transition to a clean
and reliable electricity grid. As OSTP conducts this examination, it
invites comments from interested stakeholders, including the public. In
particular, this RFI seeks comments on the protocols, hardware,
resources, economics, and other factors that shape the energy use and
climate impacts of all types of digital assets. It also seeks comment
on attempts to mitigate climate harms and reduce energy use associated
with digital assets, potential energy or climate benefits from digital
assets and opportunities for natural asset or
[[Page 17106]]
emissions accounting, likely future developments or industry
trajectories related to digital assets, and implications that digital
assets have for U.S. policy including as it relates to electricity grid
reliability and greenhouse gas intensity.
DATES: Interested persons and organizations are invited to submit
comments on or before 5:00 p.m. ET on May 9, 2022.
ADDRESSES: Interested individuals and organizations should submit
comments electronically to [email protected] and include <
RFI Response: Climate Implications of Digital Assets > in the subject
line of the email. Due to time constraints, mailed paper submissions
will not be accepted, and electronic submissions received after the
deadline cannot be ensured to be incorporated or taken into
consideration.
Instructions: Response to this RFI is voluntary. Each responding
entity (individual or organization) is requested to submit only one
response.
Responses may address one or as many topics as desired from the
enumerated list provided in this RFI, noting the corresponding number
of the topic(s) to which the response pertains. Submissions must not
exceed 10 pages (exclusive of cover page) in 11-point or larger font,
with a page number provided on each page. Responses should include the
name of the person(s) or organization(s) filing the comment, as well as
the respondent type (e.g., academic institution, advocacy group,
professional society, community-based organization, industry, member of
the public, government, other). Respondent's role in the organization
may also be provided (e.g., researcher, administrator, student, program
manager, journalist) on a voluntary basis. Comments containing
references, studies, research, and other empirical data that are not
widely published should include copies or electronic links of the
referenced materials; these materials, as well as a list of references,
do not count toward the 10-page limit. No business proprietary
information, copyrighted information, or personally identifiable
information (aside from that requested above) should be submitted in
response to this RFI. Comments submitted in response to this RFI may be
posted on OSTP's website or otherwise released publicly.
In accordance with Federal Acquisitions Regulations Systems
15.202(3), responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be
accepted by the Federal Government to form a binding contract.
Additionally, those submitting responses are solely responsible for all
expenses associated with response preparation.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For additional information, please
direct questions to Nik Marda at 202-456-4444 or
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background: Climate change is one of the most pressing problems
confronting our nation and our world, which is why President Biden has
committed to cutting U.S. greenhouse gas pollution by 50-52% by 2030,
advancing environmental justice, and having a net-zero emissions
economy by 2050. Building on the historic progress on climate action
that President Biden achieved in his first year in office, the
President's plan to achieve those goals includes improving energy
efficiency, deploying a record amount of new carbon-free energy
sources, and advancing clean energy innovation.
The explosive growth of the digital asset ecosystem may contribute
to greater energy use and negatively impact the climate. Many digital
assets, including cryptocurrencies, use decentralized consensus
mechanisms as opposed to a central authority to verify transactions.
While different digital asset systems use different consensus
mechanisms, many use ``proof of work'' based systems that require
significant amounts of computing power and electricity, often derived
from carbon-intensive sources. Some researchers estimate that
cryptocurrencies use more electricity each year than many individual
countries in the world, including some industrialized nations. Thus,
digital assets may present a key environmental challenge at a time when
we need to shift to carbon-free sources in order to combat climate
change. On the other hand, digital assets might also have a positive
impact on the climate. For example, they may provide new opportunities
in carbon accounting and verification, increasing trust in carbon
measurement and creating a novel opportunity for addressing climate
change.
Recognizing these climate risks, other risks, and potential
benefits of digital assets, President Biden signed Executive Order
(E.O.) 14067: Ensuring Responsible Development of Digital Assets on
March 9, 2022, to outline a whole-of-government strategy on digital
assets. Pursuant to E.O. 14067, OSTP, and its partners from the
Executive Office of the President and Federal agencies, are examining
the connections between distributed ledger technology and energy
transitions, the potential for these technologies to impede or advance
efforts to tackle climate change at home and abroad, and the impacts
these technologies have on the environment.
This RFI seeks public input to better understand the climate
impacts of digital assets. In particular, this RFI seeks comments on
the protocols, hardware, resources, economics, and other factors that
shape the energy use and climate impacts of all types of digital
assets. It also seeks comment on attempts to mitigate climate harms and
reduce energy use associated with digital assets, potential energy or
climate benefits from digital assets and opportunities for natural
asset or emissions accounting, likely future developments or industry
trajectories related to digital assets, and implications that digital
assets have for U.S. policy including as it relates to electricity grid
reliability and greenhouse gas intensity. These comments will inform a
report to the President on the climate impacts of digital assets.
Terminology: The terms blockchain, central bank digital currency,
cryptocurrencies, digital assets, and stablecoins, have the definitions
provided in Section 9 of E.O. 14067.
Scope: OSTP invites input from interested stakeholders, including
academic researchers and policy analysts; technical practitioners
specializing in digital ledger technologies; civil society and advocacy
groups; individuals and organizations who work on environmental issues;
industry and industry association groups; Federal entities and
employees; State, local, tribal, territorial, and foreign governments;
and members of the public.
Information Requested: Respondents may provide information for one
or as many topics below as they choose.
1. Protocols: Information on the climate impacts of the protocols
used by digital assets. This includes the effect of cryptocurrencies'
consensus mechanisms on energy usage, as well as potential mitigating
measures and alternative mechanisms of consensus and the design
tradeoffs those may entail. For example, many digital assets--including
those that make use of smart contracts--use or are looking into less
energy-intensive consensus mechanisms than ``proof of work.''
Information is sought related to the benefits and drawbacks of those
alternative mechanisms, as well as their different energy consumption
profiles.
2. Hardware: Information about the climate impacts from the
physical components that run the protocols for digital assets. This
includes the
[[Page 17107]]
embodied emissions of specialized hardware and cooling equipment used
to mine certain cryptocurrencies, as well as the waste generated from
this equipment needing to be replaced frequently due to rapidly
improving mining equipment. This also includes potential mitigating
measures and technology improvements to reduce the environmental impact
from hardware usage.
3. Resources: Information about the resources used to sustain and
power digital assets. This includes the electricity that powers mining
rigs and the water used to cool those operations, as well as potential
mitigating measures to reduce the amount of electricity and water used.
This also includes quantitative estimates of the total amounts of these
resources used by particular types of digital assets, or by the digital
asset ecosystem at large. This also includes information concerning
whether the costs of resources used are borne equitably across society
or are disproportionately borne by historically disadvantaged
communities.
4. Economics: Information about how the energy use of digital
assets is affected by the value of, demand for, and supply of
particular digital assets or their underlying infrastructure. This
includes the environmental and infrastructural effects from
cryptocurrency miners moving to areas with cheaper electricity, as well
as the incentives that exist for cryptocurrency miners to use renewable
energy sources for mining. This also includes information about impacts
on the electric grid and about the need for potential incremental grid
investments, along with the impacts on electricity bills for customers
near or in affected service territories.
5. Past or ongoing mitigation attempts: Information about past or
ongoing attempts to mitigate negative climate impacts of digital
assets. This includes voluntary industry efforts, and cryptocurrencies
that are changing their consensus mechanism in order to reduce their
energy usage. This also includes climate-focused and energy efficiency
regulation or standards efforts by State, local, territorial, tribal,
federal, or foreign governments.
6. Potential energy or climate benefits: Information about how
digital assets can potentially yield positive energy or climate
impacts. This includes potential uses of blockchain that could support
monitoring or mitigating technologies to climate impacts, such as
opportunities for natural asset or emissions accounting, as well as the
exchanging of liabilities for greenhouse gas emissions, water, and
other natural or environmental assets. This also includes specific
approaches to increase the likelihood of direct climate or emissions
benefits from digital assets, or associated grid services that
indirectly lead to climate or emissions benefits. Furthermore,
information is sought supporting or rebutting claims made by some
proponents of cryptocurrencies that the energy used by mining
cryptocurrencies is a net climate positive, either because it occurs
during demand lulls or because it increases demand for renewable
electricity sources.
7. Likely future developments or industry trajectories: Information
about likely future developments or industry trajectories that would
have implications for the future climate impacts of digital assets.
This includes expected future developments in protocols, hardware,
resources, and economics. Where possible, please describe the expected
timescale for likely future developments.
8. Implications for U.S. policy: Information about how the climate
impacts of digital assets might have implications for U.S. policy. This
includes implications for energy policy, including as it relates to
grid management and reliability, energy efficiency incentives and
standards, sources of energy supply, greenhouse gas intensity, and the
transition to a net-zero emissions economy by 2050.
9. Other information: Any other information, not covered above,
that is relevant for understanding the climate impacts of digital
assets.
Dated: March 21, 2022.
Stacy Murphy,
Operations Manager.
[FR Doc. 2022-06284 Filed 3-24-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3270-F2-P