Democratic Senators Propose Setting Emission Limits for Cryptocurrency Mining and AI Data Centers

According to Bitcoin.com, Democratic Senators Sheldon Whitehouse and John Fetterman have proposed the Clean Cloud Act of 2025, which aims to set regional emission limits and impose economic penalties on cryptocurrency mining and AI data centers that exceed environmental standards to address the issue of rising energy consumption in digital infrastructure. The bill requires facilities using over 100 kilowatts of electricity to report their electricity sources, consumption data, and emission intensity annually. This bill sets emission benchmarks for various regions in the United States, gradually decreasing to zero by 2035. Starting from 2026, power companies and facilities that exceed the standard will be fined $20 per kilowatt hour and adjusted for inflation. The funds raised will be used to support clean energy projects, consumer energy subsidies, and project management. Zero carbon energy supply facilities are exempt. The bill also requires the disclosure of facility energy data while protecting proprietary consumption data, which has been submitted to a Senate committee and includes separable clauses to ensure that some clauses remain valid even after they are rejected.