Sponsors (5)
The bill speeds and expands geothermal development—boosting investment, jobs, and clean power—by imposing predictable permit timelines and more frequent lease offerings, but raises risks to sensitive lands, strains agency capacity, and could increase public costs.
Geothermal developers and utilities get faster, predictable permitting (30-day acknowledgement and issuance targets), reducing project delay and permitting uncertainty so projects can start sooner.
Utilities, developers, and states gain more opportunities to develop geothermal projects because lease sales are held more frequently and most nominated parcels must be offered, expanding investment prospects.
Rural communities and the power grid benefit from accelerated clean energy deployment and potential local job creation because annual and replacement sales reduce development delays.
Rural and tribal communities and sensitive ecosystems face higher risk because requiring most nominated parcels to be offered could push leasing into environmentally or culturally sensitive areas.
Federal and state agencies may be strained by short permit deadlines, increasing the likelihood of rushed or incomplete NEPA reviews, more categorical exclusions, and subsequent legal or environmental problems.
Taxpayers and state budgets could face higher costs if agencies must hire more staff or contractors to meet strict timelines, shifting compliance costs onto the public sector.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Requires annual competitive geothermal lease sales, mandates offering at least 75% of nominated parcels, and imposes strict drilling permit processing deadlines.
Requires the Department of the Interior to hold competitive geothermal lease sales every year (instead of every two years), to run replacement sales if a scheduled sale is canceled or delayed, and to offer at least 75% of nominated parcels consistent with state resource management plans (with limited exceptions for the remaining 25%). It also creates firm deadlines for processing geothermal drilling permit applications: the agency must notify applicants within 30 days whether an application is complete; if complete, the agency must either issue the permit within 30 days (if environmental and other legal requirements are met) or defer with written instructions and a short agency timeline, with a final decision required promptly after the applicant addresses specified items.
Official title: Committing Leases for Energy Access Now Act
Introduced February 27, 2025 by Russell Fulcher · Last progress June 3, 2026