WASHINGTON – Today, Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions (CRES) President and CEO Heather Reams issued the following statement in support of House passage of the bipartisan Geothermal Energy Advancement Act. This legislation will work to improve federal permitting and leasing for geothermal energy projects.
“Geothermal energy has tremendous potential to deliver the abundant, reliable and emissions-free power needed to meet America’s growing energy demands,” said CRES President and CEO Heather Reams. “CRES strongly supports this bipartisan package of bills to remove hurdles to geothermal development and unlock new investment. We congratulate the House Natural Resources Committee on this achievement and urge swift passage in the Senate.”
Further background on bills included in this package:
- H.R. 1687, Committing Leases for Energy Access Now (CLEAN) Act, (Rep. Fulcher, R-Idaho): Expedites geothermal energy development on federally managed lands by reforming lease sale rules.
- H.R. 5631, Geothermal Energy Advancement Act, as amended (Rep. Hurd, R-Colo.): This bill contains a package of geothermal bills including:
- Geothermal Energy Opportunity (GEO) Act (Rep. Maloy, R-Utah): Sets clear deadlines for the Department of the Interior (Interior) to process applications for geothermal leases.
- Geothermal Cost-Recovery Authority Act of 2025 (Rep. Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.): Allows Interior to charge geothermal companies certain costs related to the permitting process.
- Geothermal Gold Book Development Act (Rep. Ansari, D-Ariz.): Requires Interior to craft standard guidelines to ensure geothermal projects are “environmentally responsible.”
- Geothermal Ombudsman for National Deployment and Optimal Reviews Act (Rep. Hurd, R-Colo.): Creates a “geothermal ombudsman” and geothermal permitting task force within Interior.
- Geothermal Royalty Reform Act (Rep. Kennedy, R-Utah): Adjusts certain royalty-sharing metrics for geothermal facilities.
- Streamlining Thermal Energy through Advanced Mechanisms (STEAM) Act (Reps. Lee, D-Nev. & Maloy, R-Utah): Expedites environmental review of geothermal activities under NEPA.