SEC Mulls Possible Climate Reporting Mandates for Bitcoin Mining

The SEC is contemplating whether to require companies involved with Bitcoin and other digital assets to disclose their greenhouse gas emissions from cryptocurrency mining, agency Chairman Gary Gensler said.

Cryptocurrencies and corporate reporting about risks from climate change form an “interesting intersection” for the Securities and Exchange Commission to consider, Gensler said Tuesday at an Aspen Institute discussion.

Crypto mining “takes a lot of electricity,” said Gensler, who taught classes on financial technology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology before joining the SEC in April.

Gensler’s remarks come amid the agency’s heightened focus on climate change and a clash over ...