What a yes vote endorsed
Geothermal Energy Advancement Act
What this does
The bill promotes geothermal energy development on public lands by speeding permitting, funding oversight, and creating new bodies to manage it. It requires the Secretary of the Interior to approve, issue, or deny an application tied to a valid geothermal lease within 60 days of completing required Federal reviews, even when a civil action is pending, unless a Federal court vacates or enjoins the lease. It lets the Secretary recover the administrative and inspection costs of geothermal leasing and permitting through September 30, 2033. It directs the Secretary to appoint a Geothermal Ombudsman within the Bureau of Land Management and to establish a Geothermal Permitting Task Force headed by that ombudsman. It requires the Secretary to publish and rename an updated Gold Book of standard procedures for geothermal operations. It changes the royalty timing so the rate under Section 5(a)(1) runs for the 10-year period following a facility's in-service date rather than the first 10 years of production under the lease. It extends a NEPA review provision of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to geothermal exploration and development.
Passed the House by voice vote
How we know · 9 sourced claims
- The bill promotes responsible geothermal energy development on public lands, and it amends the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970 and the Energy Policy Act of 2005 toward that end.Source: Long title; Secs. 2, 3, 7, 8
- It requires the Secretary of the Interior to approve, issue, or deny an application tied to a valid geothermal lease within 60 days after completing all requirements under applicable Federal laws, notwithstanding any pending civil action, unless a Federal court vacates or provides injunctive relief for the lease.Source: Sec. 2, new subsection (h)(1)
- It lets the Secretary require an applicant for, or a holder of, a geothermal lease to reimburse the United States for the reasonable administrative and inspection costs of geothermal leasing and permitting during the period that ends September 30, 2033.Source: Sec. 3, new subsection (j)(1)
- It requires the Secretary of the Interior to submit to congressional committees, within 5 years of enactment, a report assessing how the cost-recovery amendments made by Section 3 affected the Bureau of Land Management's geothermal program.Source: Sec. 4(a)
- It requires the Secretary of the Interior to identify standard procedures and publish an updated version of the Gold Book for geothermal operations, and to rename the Gold Book to reflect geothermal development.Source: Sec. 5(a); Sec. 5(b)
- It directs the Secretary to appoint a Geothermal Ombudsman within the Bureau of Land Management and to establish a Geothermal Permitting Task Force headed by that ombudsman, each within 60 days of enactment.Source: Sec. 6(b)(1); Sec. 6(c)(1); Sec. 6(c)(2)
- It changes the royalty timing under Section 5(a)(1) so the rate applies to each year of the 10-year period following a geothermal electric generating facility's in-service date rather than the first 10 years of production under the lease.Source: Sec. 7(a); Sec. 7(b)
- It amends Section 390 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to extend that NEPA review provision to exploration or development of geothermal resources under the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970.Source: Sec. 8
- Every section concerns geothermal development on public lands, some by amending the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970 or the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and others by creating new geothermal permitting bodies and duties.Source: Secs. 1 through 8