Office of Science and Technology Policy March 2022 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

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 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.