Texan Bitcoin miners profit by using less electricity; advocates say all Texans should get the same chance

Terri Rimmer uses her computer to search for remote jobs in her Fort Worth apartment on Sept. 9, 2023. A blackout curtain on the window helps keep the room cool. Rimmer said the trauma from the February 2021 winter storm caused her to shut off her air conditioning last summer when the state grid operator asked Texans to reduce electricity use. (Credit: Evan L'Roy for The Texas Tribune)

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When the news broke that Bitcoin mining company Riot Platforms made $32 million by reducing — or being willing to reduce if needed — its energy use last August in Texas, the outrage was immediate.