Sponsors (2)
The bill accelerates advanced geothermal deployment through targeted definitions, funding, permitting clarity, and workforce training, but does so at measurable federal cost and with trade-offs around environmental risk, equity, and potential exclusion of some projects.
Federal agencies, utilities, and developers get clearer permitting rules (including defined federal authorizations and technical assistance), reducing review delays and regulatory uncertainty for geothermal projects.
Researchers, companies, and the grid benefit from new R&D, field tests, and demonstration funding that should accelerate commercial-ready hot dry rock geothermal projects and help lower future electricity costs.
Workers from oil and gas and local community members in energy-affected areas gain funded classroom, apprenticeship, and placement opportunities to retrain into geothermal and clean-energy jobs.
U.S. taxpayers fund multiple new programs and appropriations (totaling tens of millions over FY2027–2031 and additional DOE spending), increasing federal spending and budgetary costs.
Deeper drilling, high‑temperature operations, and faster/streamlined approvals raise risks of induced seismicity, groundwater impacts, and other local environmental harms—risks that could be underestimated if environmental review is reduced.
Program design elements (milestone-based awards, preference for current oil/gas workers or U.S.-headquartered employees, and expedited authorizations) may favor well-resourced firms and certain populations, disadvantaging small applicants, immigrants, and other jobseekers.
Based on analysis of 6 sections of legislative text.
Establishes federal grant, research, mapping, workforce training, and expert-assistance programs to accelerate high‑temperature hot dry rock geothermal development and authorizes multi‑year funding.
Introduced February 13, 2026 by Jake Auchincloss · Last progress February 13, 2026
Creates a package of federal programs to accelerate high-temperature “hot dry rock” geothermal energy development. It directs the Department of Energy to run grant programs, a milestone-based development grant track, a Frontier Observatory and Testing Site program, and R&D support; directs the U.S. Geological Survey to fund deep-mapping, seismic/thermal research, and groundwater monitoring; requires the Department of Labor to run geothermal workforce training with higher-education partners; and funds a technical-expert assistance program to help federal land managers review geothermal project authorizations. Authorizes multi-year funding levels for research, grants, testing sites, mapping, monitoring, workforce training, and expert assistance for fiscal years 2027–2031, and adds geothermal to certain categorical exclusions for federal environmental review of oil/gas activities to cover geothermal operations on federal lands.