U.S. Senator submits draft of the Clean Cloud Act, requiring encryption mining companies to reduce emissions.

On April 13, TheBlock reported that Democratic Senators Sheldon Whitehouse and John Fetterman submitted the “2025 Clean Cloud Act” draft to the U.S. Senate, aiming to control the carbon emissions of crypto mining facilities and AI data centers, with the ultimate goal of imposing fines on facilities using non-renewable energy by 2035. The draft proposes to amend the Clean Air Act, requiring data centers with an energy capacity exceeding 100 kW to comply with the regional emission caps set forth in the Department of Energy’s “National Transmission Demand Study.” Different emission limits will be established for each region according to the draft, with the cap standards set to be established by the end of 2025 and subsequently reduced by 11% each year until reaching zero by 2035. Exceeding enterprises will need to pay inflation-adjusted fines based on the extent of the excess, and they are prohibited from passing costs onto users. The fine funds will be used to alleviate rising electricity costs for residents through local government grants and to fund clean energy deployment. The Democratic team of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee stated on the X platform: “Crypto and AI data centers could support clean energy, but they are burning more fossil fuels and driving up household electricity costs. The Clean Cloud Act will ensure that these profitable industries take on their responsibilities, allowing us to stay ahead in AI development and climate safety.” The bill is expected to face opposition from congressional Republicans; former President Trump has publicly expressed a desire for the U.S. to become the world’s leading Bitcoin mining powerhouse, and previous reports indicated that the Trump family is planning to list their Bitcoin mining company.