Congresswoman Lee Co-Leads, Passes Landmark Bipartisan Permitting Reform Package to Unleash Geothermal in Nevada and Nationwide
Today, Congresswoman Susie Lee (NV-03) voted in support of her Geothermal Energy Advancement Act, a bipartisan, six-bill geothermal permitting reform package she co-leads with Congressman Jeff Hurd (CO-03). The House-passed package is the most significant geothermal legislation in more than half a century, since the enactment of the foundational Geothermal Steam Act of 1970. The package includes Lee’s bipartisan, bicameral Streamlining Thermal Energy through Advanced Mechanisms (STEAM) Act to expedite geothermal exploration and development, which she introduced with Congresswoman Celeste Maloy (UT-02) and Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) andLisa Murkowski (R-AK).
“Geothermal energy is uniting Americans from the left, right, and center. As the United States continues to face both increasing energy demand here at home and rising energy costs from abroad, fully harnessing our domestic geothermal resources is more important than ever,” said Congresswoman Susie Lee. “With energy bills going up, we need to embrace an all-of-the-above approach to bring these costs down for hardworking Americans. This landmark geothermal package, and the home-grown energy it supports, will do just that.”
Congresswoman Lee’s STEAM Act ensures 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, leveling the playing field for this promising and proven 24/7 clean energy source while creating jobs, cutting emissions, and reducing foreign energy dependence.
The package also includes the Geothermal Energy Opportunity (GEO) Act, another bill that Congresswoman Lee has championed with Congresswoman Maloy to reform — and speed up — the federal permitting process for geothermal projects. The GEO Act requires the Department of the Interior to process all applications for drilling permits, licenses, and other authorizations under an existing geothermal lease within 60 days of completing required reviews.
The additional four bills passed as part of the comprehensive Hurd-Lee Geothermal Energy Advancement Act are the Geothermal Cost-Recovery Authority Act from Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), the Geothermal Gold Book Development Act from Congresswoman Yassamin Ansari (AZ-03), the Geothermal Ombudsman for National Deployment and Optimal Reviews Act from Congressman Hurd, and the Geothermal Royalty Reform Act from Congressman Mike Kennedy (UT-03).
The U.S. contains more than five terawatts of geothermal resources, enough to meet the electricity needs of the entire world. With the ongoing advancements in 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 within the next 25 years.
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, “Project Red.” This project was the result of a partnership between Google and Fervo Energy — and is actively producing carbon-free electricity to power Google Cloud operations in Las Vegas and across the state, which is already the second-largest producer of geothermal in the country.
With its passage in the House, the Hurd-Lee Geothermal Energy Advancement Act now moves to the Senate for further consideration.
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