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February 12, 2025

Hypothetical question: What if someone threw away a hard drive containing your $600 million Bitcoin wallet and the local dump you thought it was at wouldn’t let you search for it? What would you do? If you said, “buy the dump,” then you and James Howells think alike.

That may be the choice Howells is left with after fighting for more than 10 years to recover the Bitcoin wallet his partner tossed back in 2013. The drive was left in a black bag in a hallway (not sure that’s where I’d leave $600 million sitting around) that was later mistaken for trash and tossed in a landfill. The Newport City Council has repeatedly denied Howells’ attempts to search for the drive, saying it is now the landfill’s property — a decision further backed by a high court judge. On top of it all, the clock is ticking, as the landfill is slated to close in the coming years. 

An EPA analysis in 2018 suggested it can cost between $1.1 million to $1.7 million to construct, operate and close a landfill. If that’s the case, then buying it makes sense if he can … but only if he finds the drive. Otherwise, other peoples’ trash would just be his trash. 

Now, dig through some of today’s RTO Insider news.

From everyone at RTO Insider, thanks for reading and enjoy the rest of your day!

Shawn McFarland 

The latest from RTO Insider:

• BPA Halts Some Tx Planning Processes Amid Surge of Service Requests
  
• FERC Proposes Talks with DOJ on Southern Co. Plant Purchase
  
• Incumbent Utilities Make Case for ROFR Laws in New Report
• NEPOOL Markets Committee Briefs: Feb. 11, 2025
• NYISO Liaison Subcommittee Briefs: Feb. 11, 2025
• Pathways ‘Step 2’ Plan Elicits Praise, Concerns — and Advice
• US Grid Has Flexible ‘Headroom’ for Data Center Demand Growth
  

The latest from NetZero Insider:

• Type One and TVA to Cooperate on Fusion Plant
  

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