House passes bipartisan geothermal energy package
Expanded federal permitting for utilities is a start to downstream opportunities
Earlier this month, The House of Representatives passed the bipartisan Geothermal Energy Advancement Act, advancing legislation designed to accelerate the development of large-scale geothermal power generation.
The package combines six geothermal-related bills intended to streamline permitting, improve coordination among federal agencies, and support geothermal leasing and development on public lands.
The legislation was introduced by Rep. Jeff Hurd, R-Colo., and attracted bipartisan support from co-sponsors including Reps. Susie Lee, D-Nev.; Celeste Maloy, R-Utah; Mike Kennedy, R-Utah; Yassamin Ansari, D-Ariz.; and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.
Geothermal power has been used in the United States for nearly 70 years, but it still generates less than 1% of the nation’s electricity, largely because development has historically been limited to areas with accessible geothermal resources.
"Geothermal energy can produce many gigawatts of clean, firm power and provide good-paying jobs for American workers — if we can deploy it at scale.”
“At a time when Americans are seeing their electric bills skyrocket, today’s passage of the Geothermal Cost-Recovery Authority Act is an important step forward in advancing reliable, clean energy solutions,” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., said.
The bill would allow the Department of the Interior to collect fees from geothermal developers through Sept. 30, 2033, to help pay for permitting and oversight of geothermal projects on federal land.
“Geothermal energy has the potential to provide reliable, homegrown clean energy, yet the geothermal program on public lands lacks the same support available to oil and gas, wind, and solar projects,” said Justin Meuse, government relations director for The Wilderness Society.
“This bill will help ensure the growth of geothermal energy occurs responsibly while also maintaining healthy public lands for current and future generations,” he said.
The authority mirrors similar programs already in place for wind, solar, and oil and gas development.
Geothermal energy has simmered on the sidelines of the U.S. power sector for decades and new technologies and policy support could help move it into the mainstream.
These projects are commonly deployed through municipal, utility, campus, and commercial developments, where contractor involvement is concentrated at the local and regional level.
While positive for clean energy power plant development and getting more “electrons on the grid,” there is more work to do in educating legislators and drafting bills that provide state and local level consistency in geothermal projects and permitting, Dougherty said.
That’s where the impact and opportunity is felt for the industry in execution — and it’s already happening.
“Geothermal energy can produce many gigawatts of clean, firm power and provide good-paying jobs for American workers — if we can deploy it at scale,” said Terra Rogers, senior program director at Clean Air Task Force.
The bill now heads to the Senate.
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