diff --git a/core/genesis.go b/core/genesis.go
index 1a3da935f5..6b521369bc 100644
--- a/core/genesis.go
+++ b/core/genesis.go
@@ -125,9 +125,7 @@ func (ga *GenesisAlloc) deriveHash(cfg *params.ChainConfig, timestamp uint64) (c
 	// Create an ephemeral in-memory database for computing hash,
 	// all the derived states will be discarded to not pollute disk.
 	db := state.NewDatabase(rawdb.NewMemoryDatabase())
-	// XXX check this is the case
-	// TODO remove the nil config check once we have rebased, it should never be nil
-	if cfg != nil && cfg.IsVerkle(big.NewInt(int64(0)), timestamp) {
+	if cfg.IsVerkle(big.NewInt(int64(0)), timestamp) {
 		db.EndVerkleTransition()
 	}
 	statedb, err := state.New(types.EmptyRootHash, db, nil)
diff --git a/core/state/iterator.go b/core/state/iterator.go
index 26846730d1..bf00fc0e7e 100644
--- a/core/state/iterator.go
+++ b/core/state/iterator.go
@@ -82,15 +82,6 @@ func (it *nodeIterator) step() error {
 		if err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
-
-		// If the trie is a verkle trie, then the data and state
-		// are the same tree, and as a result both iterators are
-		// the same. This is a hack meant for both tree types to
-		// work.
-		// XXX check if this is still needed
-		if _, ok := it.state.trie.(*trie.VerkleTrie); ok {
-			it.dataIt = it.stateIt
-		}
 	}
 	// If we had data nodes previously, we surely have at least state nodes
 	if it.dataIt != nil {
diff --git a/core/state_processor_test.go b/core/state_processor_test.go
index cc2a934054..ffb3285b8f 100644
--- a/core/state_processor_test.go
+++ b/core/state_processor_test.go
@@ -432,7 +432,6 @@ var (
 	intrinsicContractCreationGas, _    = IntrinsicGas(code, nil, true, true, true, true)
 	codeWithExtCodeCopy                = common.FromHex(`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`)
 	intrinsicCodeWithExtCodeCopyGas, _ = IntrinsicGas(codeWithExtCodeCopy, nil, true, true, true, true)
-	// XXX if the last true in IntringsicGas makes for an invalid gas, try false
 )
 
 func TestProcessVerkle(t *testing.T) {
diff --git a/miner/worker.go b/miner/worker.go
index b23fbdeaff..81aeb1d813 100644
--- a/miner/worker.go
+++ b/miner/worker.go
@@ -89,9 +89,6 @@ type environment struct {
 	header   *types.Header
 	txs      []*types.Transaction
 	receipts []*types.Receipt
-
-	// XXX check if this is still necessary
-	preRoot common.Hash
 }
 
 // copy creates a deep copy of environment.
@@ -103,7 +100,6 @@ func (env *environment) copy() *environment {
 		coinbase: env.coinbase,
 		header:   types.CopyHeader(env.header),
 		receipts: copyReceipts(env.receipts),
-		preRoot:  env.preRoot,
 	}
 	if env.gasPool != nil {
 		gasPool := *env.gasPool
@@ -716,7 +712,6 @@ func (w *worker) makeEnv(parent *types.Header, header *types.Header, coinbase co
 		state:    state,
 		coinbase: coinbase,
 		header:   header,
-		preRoot:  parent.Root,
 	}
 	// Keep track of transactions which return errors so they can be removed
 	env.tcount = 0