House Moves Forward with Bipartisan Geothermal Permitting Package

The House is scheduled to consider a comprehensive measure next week that would streamline permitting for geothermal energy projects on federal lands. The legislation bundles provisions from six separate bills that received bipartisan approval from the House Natural Resources Committee in March. Its placement on a suspension calendar signals that leadership expects a similarly bipartisan vote on the floor.

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All six bills were combined into a single amendment to Rep. Jeff Hurd’s (R-CO) original proposal. The committee approved the combined text en bloc by consent vote, reflecting broad support across party lines. The package builds on a 2024 House-passed bill introduced by Rep. John Curtis (R-UT), which the Senate did not advance.

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• Rep. Jeff Hurd (R-CO) – Requires the Interior secretary to appoint a geothermal ombudsman within the Bureau of Land Management to act as a liaison for permitting.

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• Rep. Celeste Maloy (R-UT) – Mandates the Interior Department to approve or deny geothermal applications within 60 days after completing required reviews under NEPA, the Endangered Species Act, and related statutes.

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• Rep. Susie Lee (D-NV) – Extends a categorical exclusion from NEPA for geothermal drilling in areas where such permitting occurred within the past five years.

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• Reps. Yassamin Ansari (D-AZ), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), and Mike Kennedy (R-UT) – Direct the department to develop standards, procedures, and guidelines for geothermal permitting, allow cost-recovery fees, and permit variable royalty rates for multiple facilities on the same lease.

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Geothermal energy provides zero-emissions baseload power, a characteristic that the Trump administration highlighted to meet rising data-center demand. Tax credits for geothermal projects were included in the 2022 Democratic reconciliation law and retained in the 2025 Republican reconciliation package. In May, the House passed a separate bill exempting geothermal exploration on state or privately owned land from federal permitting requirements, winning a 231-186 vote with 22 Democrats and one independent joining all Republicans.

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A subset of Democrats opposed the private-land exemption, warning that it could produce unintended environmental consequences and complicate liability for damages. Similar cautionary remarks have been voiced regarding the broader permitting package, emphasizing the need for robust environmental review mechanisms.

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The combined measure will be debated under suspension of the rules, a process that typically expedites passage when bipartisan consensus exists. Lawmakers are expected to vote next week, after which the bill will proceed to the Senate for consideration.

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While the House has advanced multiple geothermal initiatives, the Senate has not yet acted on comparable legislation, leaving the final enactment of the permitting reforms uncertain. Further inter-chamber negotiations will be required to resolve procedural and policy differences before the package can become law.

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