Geothermal Energy Advancement Act

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5631) to appoint a Geothermal Ombudsman and establish a Geothermal Permitting Task Force from within the Bureau of Land Management, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to add extraneous material on H.R. 5631, the bill now under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 5631, the Geothermal Energy Advancement Act, sponsored by Representative Hurd.

The United States has an abundance of natural resources, and many of these resources are found on Federal land throughout the country. There is one resource in particular that is uniquely positioned to help meet our growing energy demand in the Western United States, and that is geothermal energy.

The first geothermal project on Bureau of Land Management lands was approved in 1978. Since then, technological advancements and increased data collection have given geothermal projects significant momentum, and BLM lands have attracted strong interest from geothermal producers.

The U.S. Geological Survey estimates that the Great Basin Region alone holds about 135 gigawatts of next-generation geothermal potential. That is enough to power roughly 100 to 135 million homes.

Today, there are 51 operating power plants producing geothermal energy on BLM-managed public lands, with a combined installed capacity of more than 2.6 gigawatts.

Unfortunately, cumbersome leasing and permitting practices on Federal lands have prolonged project timelines and increased costs for geothermal developers. This is why I am pleased to support the Geothermal Energy Advancement Act.

This past December, during a legislative hearing, we heard from multiple witnesses who stressed the importance of commonsense measures that further exploration, provide timely lease sales, and enhance geothermal expertise within Federal agencies. This legislation includes provisions from six bipartisan bills that accomplish just that.

The Geothermal Ombudsman for National Deployment and Optimal Reviews Act, introduced by Representative Hurd, will provide BLM with the needed staffing flexibility by appointing a geothermal ombudsman from within that agency who will coordinate among offices and assign expert personnel from across the Department of the Interior to assist with approvals as part of a newly formed Geothermal Permitting Task Force.

The Geothermal Gold Book Development Act, introduced by Representative Ansari, directs DOI to identify and publish standard procedures and guidelines in a Gold Book for efficient and environmentally responsible geothermal leasing and permitting for use by BLM field offices and geothermal operators.

The Geothermal Royalty Reform Act, introduced by Representative Kennedy, provides a much-needed fix to the royalty system for geothermal energy, ensuring fair cost distribution for new geothermal facilities on Federal land.

The Streamlining Thermal Energy through Advanced Mechanisms Act, or the STEAM Act, introduced by Representative Lee, extends categorical exclusions available to oil and gas activities to geothermal development.

The Geothermal Cost-Recovery Authority Act, introduced by Representative Ocasio-Cortez, would authorize the BLM to establish fees for geothermal operators to offset permitting costs.

Lastly, the Geothermal Energy Opportunity Act, or the GEO Act, introduced by Representative Maloy, requires the BLM to follow through on its job of processing geothermal permits and authorizations unless a Federal court directs it to do otherwise.

Together, these reforms will help to release the heat below our feet and bolster American energy dominance.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to join me in support of H.R. 5631, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Hurd), who is the lead sponsor of this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Kennedy).

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record six letters of support for the Geothermal Energy Advancement Act. These letters are from ClearPath Action, Corporate Energy Buyers Association, Enhanced Geothermal Systems Deployment Coalition, Geothermal Rising Action, Ormat Technologies, and Zanskar Geothermal & Minerals.

ClearPath Action,

June 2, 2026.

Hon. Bruce Westerman,

Chairman, House Committee on Natural Resources, Washington,

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the Geothermal Energy Advancement Act. At a time when competition with China on AI and data centers is at an all-time high, we cannot afford to fall behind in power generation. Geothermal energy can provide reliable, baseload power throughout the West, as well as other parts of the country, and enhance American energy independence.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the sponsors of the bill included in this bipartisan package for their work to bring this legislation to the floor, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 7831) to amend the Mineral Leasing Act to extend the period of time during which the Secretary of the Interior is required to collect a fee for each new application for a permit to drill, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to add extraneous material on H.R. 7831, the bill now under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 7831, the License to Drill Act, sponsored by Representative Kennedy of Utah.

Since its creation under the Energy Policy Act of 2005, the Permit Processing Improvement Fund, or PPIF, has been a critical tool for the Bureau of Land Management. Congress created this program to provide BLM with the resources necessary to process Applications for Permits to Drill, or APDs, in a timely manner. To support that effort, Congress authorized an APD application fee to help fund the PPIF and reduce permitting delays.

Over the years, BLM has relied on the PPIF to ensure APDs are processed consistently and efficiently. While past administrations have not always maintained a satisfactory APD approval record, the PPIF has served as a reliable backstop, helping maintain continuity and staffing at BLM field offices.

Under President Trump, Secretary Burgum's Department of the Interior has approved 63.7 percent more Federal and Indian drilling permits than the previous administration had approved during an equivalent period of time in office. In fact, President Trump's BLM has approved 6,027 new oil and gas permits and more APDs than any other year over the past 15 years.

Just last month, the Department of the Interior generated over $4 billion in total receipts from a BLM oil and gas lease sale in New Mexico and Texas under the Working Families Tax Cut Act. That is four times the previous record. This commendable performance demonstrates strong demand for domestic energy production on Federal lands, the Trump administration's success in unleashing American energy, and House Republicans' commitment to responsible management of our natural resources and lowering American energy prices.

H.R. 7831 reauthorizes the APD fee program. The fees, which are paid when submitting an application to drill, are deposited into the PPIF and used by the BLM to support application review and permitting activities. Since the implementation of these fees, operators and industry stakeholders have observed more reliable and timely permit approvals, prompting their strong support for the fees as good policy.

H.R. 7831 takes an important step toward maintaining a predictable, efficient, and durable permitting framework for oil and natural gas development on Federal lands. Reauthorizing fees for oil and gas drilling permits will help ensure that BLM has the resources necessary to process the permits needed to unleash American energy.

I urge all my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 7831, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Kennedy), the lead sponsor of the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Stauber), who is also the chair of the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources.

Mr. Speaker, I, again, urge my colleagues to support the License to Drill Act.

America has some of the richest energy resources in the world, and House Republicans are working alongside the Trump administration to put those resources to work.

I, again, thank Representative Kennedy for his diligent work on this issue, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 5631, the Geothermal Energy Advancement Act.

I begin by thanking my Republican colleagues Representatives Lee, Maloy, and Kennedy and my Democratic colleagues Representatives Ansari and Ocasio-Cortez for their partnership on this bipartisan legislation. At a time when Americans are often told Congress cannot work together across the aisle, this bill is proof that we still can.

Geothermal energy represents one of the most promising opportunities in America's energy future.

When we talk about geothermal energy in this bill, we are not talking about heating and cooling systems for individual buildings. We are talking about large-scale electricity generation from the heat miles beneath the Earth's surface, energy available around the clock and dispatched when the grid needs it.

It is American energy. It is always available. It strengthens grid reliability. It supplies reliable power for military installations, advanced manufacturing, and critical infrastructure. It can help meet growing energy demand without relying on foreign supply chains.

The good news is that the challenge facing geothermal energy today is not a lack of resources. It is not a lack of innovation. It is not technology. It is not lack of entrepreneurial spirit.

The challenge is process. It is red tape.

Geothermal projects can be complex and capital intensive. Now, this legislation does not solve every challenge facing the industry, but it addresses one of the challenges that Congress can solve: unnecessary delay, fragmented permitting, and regulatory uncertainty.

When projects spend years navigating regulatory uncertainty, these costs ultimately get built into the project. Greater certainty helps attract investment, accelerate deployment, and bring promising projects online more quickly.

Across the West, we have extraordinary geothermal potential, but permitting remains fragmented, timelines are uncertain, and expertise is often spread unevenly across the Federal Government.

As a result, projects face delays that serve no one's interests.

This legislation takes a practical approach to solving those problems. It improves coordination. It increases certainty. It streamlines permitting. It helps ensure that expertise is available where it is needed. It also provides the tools necessary to move worthy projects through the process more efficiently while maintaining responsible environmental stewardship. In short, this bill helps the system work the way Congress intended it to work.

America has tremendous geothermal potential, but we have a deployment problem. The good news, though, is we can solve it. If we are serious about American energy security, American competitiveness, and American innovation, we should remove unnecessary barriers that prevent us from developing the resources that we already possess.

The future will require more electricity, more reliability, more domestic energy production. Geothermal can help meet that challenge. This legislation helps unlock that potential.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Westerman for his invaluable help on this legislation, and I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 5631.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman and my colleague from Colorado for their leadership in this package.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of a rare issue that is uniting Americans from the right, the left, and the center: geothermal energy. Particularly during a time when it too often can feel like Congress can't agree on anything, today's package is a standout in the best way.

As the United States continues to face increasing energy demand here at home and rising energy costs from abroad, fully harnessing our domestic

geothermal resources is more important than ever.

My home State of Nevada has been a pioneer of both conventional and next-generation geothermal energy, including as the site of the country's first enhanced geothermal plant.

With exciting and ongoing developments in the geothermal technology, the Department of Energy has estimated that America will be able to affordably capture enough of our abundant geothermal resources nationwide to power more than 65 million homes over the next 25 years.

Let me be clear: This is baseload, 24/7 clean energy, and that is why I am proud to co-lead the Geothermal Energy Advancement Act with Congressman Hurd.

Our bipartisan package is the most significant geothermal legislation in more than a half a century since the foundational Geothermal Steam Act of 1970. I am thrilled that the package includes my STEAM Act, which I am proud to co-lead with Representative Celeste Maloy and Senator Catherine Cortez Masto. The STEAM Act will ensure that the geothermal industry has the same flexibility to explore and develop on previously disturbed or studied public lands that the oil and gas industry has had for upwards of two decades. At long last, we will be leveling the playing field for this promising and proven 24/7 clean energy source.

Mr. Speaker, there is a reason that the STEAM Act and all six bills in the package unanimously passed out of the House Natural Resources Committee: It is because Members from all corners of the ideological spectrum know that geothermal can make a real difference.

The U.S. contains more than five terawatts of geothermal resources, enough to meet the electricity needs of the entire world. With energy costs going up, I have long said that we need to embrace an all-of-the- above approach to bring down these costs for hardworking Americans. This geothermal package and the homegrown energy that it supports will do just that.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support our bipartisan, commonsense, and cost-saving legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Chair Westerman and his outstanding staff for their help in getting this bill to the floor.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my legislation, the License to Drill Act. This bill ensures the Federal Government has the operational resources to process energy permits efficiently without unnecessary delay.

Every American takes part in an electrified economy, whether they choose to or not, and right now that economy is facing a critical point. We are heading toward a severe energy deficit.

We possess the most dynamic economy in the world, but every single engine of that economy runs on power. We need more of it every year to build, manufacture, and to put people to work, yet much of our existing generating capacity is at the end of its useful life. As those plants go offline, our energy deficit worsens.

We cannot close an energy gap this massive with wishful thinking. We must take practical steps to meet demand because meeting demand is how we keep energy affordable for working families.

The answer isn't to bet everything on a single source. The answer is an all-of-the-above energy strategy. We have already proven that this works. Just last year, the United States produced more energy than at any point in its history, hitting record highs in oil, natural gas, and renewables simultaneously, but when one source is choked off, everyday Americans pay the price.

Producing that energy requires the capacity to efficiently permit it. Right now, a single permit can sit for months, not because the technology or industry isn't ready, but because the Federal Government often lacks the ability to keep up.

Let's be clear: Cutting red tape is not about cutting corners on safety. It is about speeding up our bureaucracy. We can maintain rigorous oversight without ensuring years of needless delay. Every day a permit sits idly on a bureaucrat's desk is a day that costs American jobs, drives up utility bills, and hands global leverage to our adversaries.

My License to Drill Act will extend a proven, bipartisan program that has successfully cleared permit backlogs since 2004. By utilizing an industry-funded fee model, energy companies foot the bill for the administrative costs of these reviews. This means faster approvals, smaller backlogs, and more American energy, all without costing the taxpayers a single dollar.

The License to Drill Act is a commonsense step in the right direction. Let's keep American energy moving forward. I urge my colleagues to support this bill.