Las Vegas Review-Journal: Energy bill turns focus on Nevada’s ‘untapped geothermal potential’

Harnessing the heat far below Nevadans’ feet may become easier with the reintroduction of a bill that failed to make it through the last Congress.

Sponsored by U.S. Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, the Streamlining Thermal Energy Through Advanced Mechanisms (STEAM) Act aims to speed up lengthy permitting timelines for geothermal projects in areas that have already been studied. Reps. Susie Lee, D-Nev., and Celeste Maloy, R-Utah, introduced the companion bill in the House of Representatives.

“Nevada’s clean energy economy is spurring innovation and lowering energy costs for residents across the Silver State,” Cortez Masto said in a statement. “My commonsense, bipartisan legislation will cut red tape, create good-paying jobs, and let communities take advantage of Nevada’s untapped geothermal potential.”

Geothermal plants, where hot water is pumped from the ground and later injected back into the aquifer, have been touted as a water-neutral and sustainable way to generate energy. Though it’s considered by most to be a climate change solution, some are hopeful that the incoming Trump administration will support its development under an “all-of-the-above” approach to meeting the country’s energy demands.

Under the Biden administration, the Bureau of Land Management approved a so-called “categorical exclusion” in November for geothermal projects — another way to speed up permitting timelines for exploration.

“Nevada has incredible energy potential and geothermal energy is a key piece of that,” Lee said in a statement. “Yet, red tape has prevented us from fully unleashing its potential.”