Sponsors (4)
The bill clarifies that geothermal is covered under NEPA to speed and encourage geothermal development, but that clarity may shift how NEPA is applied—potentially reducing review stringency, changing local land-use outcomes, and creating fiscal costs for taxpayers.
Utilities, geothermal developers, and energy workers will gain clearer statutory inclusion of geothermal projects under NEPA, which can streamline federal review, speed project permitting, and encourage renewable geothermal deployment.
Residents of rural communities and local governments may face more federal NEPA-level decisions and potential project approvals that change local land use and environmental conditions.
Environmental advocates and nearby residents could see weakened environmental review if the amendment narrows or alters NEPA review categories, reducing protections for ecosystems and public input.
Taxpayers may incur increased public spending or incentives to support expanded geothermal development, creating fiscal trade-offs.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Adds "geothermal" to the list of resource types in 42 U.S.C. 15942 so NEPA-related statutory language that covered oil and gas also explicitly covers geothermal.
Introduced February 6, 2025 by Catherine Marie Cortez Masto · Last progress February 6, 2025
Amends a provision of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 15942) to add geothermal to the list of covered resource types so that the same NEPA-related language that applied to oil and gas now explicitly applies to geothermal energy. It also inserts additional unspecified language into a related subsection, clarifying or extending the statute's text that governs environmental review and related processes for energy resources. The change is narrowly targeted: it alters statutory wording to include geothermal alongside other resources, which may affect how federal agencies apply NEPA and related review processes to geothermal projects without creating new funding or tax rules.