Sponsors (6)
The bill aims to speed geothermal development and improve permitting capacity and transparency by adding staff incentives and a dedicated ombudsman, but it may divert agency resources, raise federal personnel costs, and limit protections for affected employees.
Utilities, energy companies, and rural communities may see faster geothermal project development because the bill creates a geothermal task force and issues best-practice guidance to speed leasing and permitting.
Utilities, energy companies, and local governments applying for geothermal projects will get a dedicated BLM ombudsman to help resolve disputes and speed permit decisions.
Federal agencies will be better able to retain or recruit geothermal expertise because the bill authorizes retention pay (up to 25% of basic pay), improving staffing stability for permitting work.
Federal employees, local governments, and other projects could be disrupted because cross-office assignments and in-person full-time requirements for geothermal staff may pull personnel away from other DOI workloads and delay non-geothermal projects.
Rural communities and other public-land users could be negatively affected if accelerating geothermal permitting shifts agency attention and resources away from other resource uses on public land.
Taxpayers and the federal budget may face higher personnel costs because funding will be needed for retention allowances, task force support, and related activities.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Creates a Geothermal Ombudsman and BLM Task Force to coordinate, monitor, and speed geothermal leasing and permitting, with staffing and retention authorities and annual reporting.
Introduced September 30, 2025 by Jeff Hurd · Last progress September 30, 2025
Creates a Geothermal Ombudsman position inside the Bureau of Land Management and a BLM Geothermal Permitting Task Force, both to be established within 60 days of enactment. The Ombudsman will coordinate among BLM offices and federal permitting bodies, help resolve disputes with applicants, track and facilitate geothermal leasing and permitting, develop best practices, and report annually to relevant Congressional committees. The law also gives the Ombudsman authority to assign cross-office Department staff to help with geothermal authorizations and to pay retention allowances up to 25% of basic pay if funds are provided.