Concerns about the use of cryptocurrencies for illegal activity resulted in an effective ban on crypto mining and transactions. After a massive public outcry at the end of 2021, mining companies in Kazakhstan were effectively cut off from the grid. Today, the US makes up about 40% of the global hashrate — up from 17% during China's 2021 peak — making America the biggest hub for bitcoin mining. However, in recent years, bitcoin mining has become increasingly concentrated in the hands of a small number of private companies. Given how much energy bitcoin mining consumes, it's worth questioning whether its presence in the US is really worth the trade-off.

---

Persons: Xi Jinping, Zoe Liu, hasn't, pushback, haven't, Jeremy Fisher, Fisher, Gladys Anderson, Kelley Sayre, Stephanie Marsh, Marsh, Gavin Newsom, would've, Donald Trump, Trump, Satoshi Nakamoto, Saifedean Ammous, Cheyanne Diehl, wasn't, Biden, Joe Biden, Liu Pengyu, America Organizations: Council, Foreign Relations, Mining, Cambridge, Goodyear, Sierra, Environmental, New York Times, Tech, Gov, Securities and Exchange Commission, July's Bitcoin, SEC, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc, Nasdaq, Embassy, EV, Sierra Club, City Council, Digital Locations: China, Kazakhstan, America, Utah, West Virginia, Akron , Ohio, Rockdale , Texas, Murphy , North Carolina, Massillon , Ohio, Bono , Arkansas, Vilonia , Arkansas, Akron, California, Nashville, Massillon, Ohio, Chinese, Massillon's City, In Arkansas, Wyoming, Washington, Harrison , Arkansas