IB 

Union Calendar No. 401 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 5374 

[Report No. 116–500, Part I] 

To establish and support advanced geothermal research and development 

programs at the Department of Energy, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

DECEMBER 10, 2019 

Mr. LUCAS (for himself and Ms. JOHNSON of Texas) introduced the following 

bill; which was referred to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, and in addition to the Committee on Education and Labor, for 

a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 

consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

SEPTEMBER 11, 2020 

Reported from the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology with an 

amendment 

[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 

SEPTEMBER 11, 2020 

Committee on Education and Labor discharged; committed to the Committee 

of the Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered to be printed 

[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on December 10, 2019] 


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A BILL 

To establish and support advanced geothermal research and 

development programs at the Department of Energy, 

and for other purposes. 


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1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

4 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Ad5 vanced Geothermal Research and Development Act of 

6 2019’’. 

7 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 

8 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 

Sec. 2. Definitions. 

Sec. 3. Hydrothermal research and development. 

Sec. 4. General geothermal systems research and development. 

Sec. 5. Enhanced geothermal systems research and development. 

Sec. 6. Geothermal heat pumps and direct use. 

Sec. 7. Cost sharing and proposal evaluation. 

Sec. 8. Advanced geothermal computing and data science research and development. 

Sec. 9. Geothermal workforce development. 

Sec. 10. Organization and administration of programs. 

Sec. 11. Repeals. 

Sec. 12. Authorization of appropriations. 

Sec. 13. International geothermal energy development. 

Sec. 14. Reauthorization of High Cost Region Geothermal Energy Grant Program. 

9 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

10 Section 612 of the Energy Independence and Security 

11 Act of 2007 (42 U.S.C. 17191) is amended— 

12 (1) by amending paragraph (1) to read as fol13 lows: 

14 ‘‘(1) ENGINEERED.—When referring to enhanced 

15 geothermal systems, the term ‘engineered’ means de16 signed to access subsurface heat, including stimula17 tion and nonstimulation technologies to address one 

18 or more of the following issues: 


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1 ‘‘(A) Lack of effective permeability, porosity 

2 or open fracture connectivity within the heat res3 ervoir. 

4 ‘‘(B) Insufficient contained geofluid in the 

5 heat reservoir. 

6 ‘‘(C) A low average geothermal gradient 

7 which necessitates deeper drilling, or the use of 

8 alternative heat sources or heat generation proc9 esses.’’; 

10 (2) by redesignating paragraphs (2) through (7) 

11 as paragraphs (3) through (8), respectively; and 

12 (3) by adding after paragraph (1) the following: 

13 ‘‘(2) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘eligible enti14 ty’ means any of the following entities: 

15 ‘‘(A) An institution of higher education. 

16 ‘‘(B) A National laboratory. 

17 ‘‘(C) A Federal research agency. 

18 ‘‘(D) A State research agency. 

19 ‘‘(E) A nonprofit research organization. 

20 ‘‘(F) An industrial entity. 

21 ‘‘(G) A consortium of 2 or more entities de22 scribed in subparagraphs (A) through (F).’’. 


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1 SEC. 3. HYDROTHERMAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT. 

2 Section 613 of the Energy Independence and Security 

3 Act of 2007 (42 U.S.C. 17192) is amended to read as fol4 lows: 

5 ‘‘SEC. 613. HYDROTHERMAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOP6 MENT. 

7 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall carry out a 

8 program of research, development, demonstration, and com9 mercial application for geothermal energy production from 

10 hydrothermal systems. 

11 ‘‘(b) PROGRAMS.—The program authorized in sub12 section (a) shall include the following: 

13 ‘‘(1) ADVANCED HYDROTHERMAL RESOURCE

14 TOOLS.—The research and development of advanced 

15 geologic tools to assist in locating hydrothermal re16 sources, and to increase the reliability of site charac17 terization, including the development of new imaging 

18 and sensing technologies and techniques to assist in 

19 prioritization of targets for characterization; 

20 ‘‘(2) EXPLORATORY DRILLING FOR GEOTHERMAL

21 RESOURCES.—The demonstration of advanced tech22 nologies and techniques of siting and exploratory 

23 drilling for undiscovered resources in a variety of geo24 logic settings, carried out in collaboration with indus25 try partners that will assist in the acquisition of high 


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1 quality data sets relevant for hydrothermal subsurface 

2 characterization activities’’. 

3 SEC. 4. GENERAL GEOTHERMAL SYSTEMS RESEARCH AND 

4 DEVELOPMENT. 

5 Section 614 of the Energy Independence and Security 

6 Act of 2007 (42 U.S.C. 17193) is amended to read as fol7 lows: 

8 ‘‘SEC. 614. GENERAL GEOTHERMAL SYSTEMS RESEARCH 

9 AND DEVELOPMENT. 

10 ‘‘(a) SUBSURFACE COMPONENTS AND SYSTEMS.—The 

11 Secretary shall support a program of research, development, 

12 demonstration, and commercial application of components 

13 and systems capable of withstanding geothermal environ14 ments and necessary to develop, produce, and monitor geo15 thermal reservoirs and produce geothermal energy. 

16 ‘‘(b) ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS.—The Secretary 

17 shall— 

18 ‘‘(1) support a program of research, development, 

19 demonstration, and commercial application of tech20 nologies and practices designed to mitigate or pre21 clude potential adverse environmental impacts of geo22 thermal energy development, production or use; and 

23 ‘‘(2) support a research program to identify po24 tential environmental impacts, including induced 

25 seismicity, and environmental benefits of geothermal 


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1 energy development, production, and use, and ensure 

2 that the program described in paragraph (1) address3 es such impacts, including water use and effects on 

4 groundwater and local hydrology; 

5 ‘‘(3) support a program of research to compare 

6 the potential environmental impacts and environ7 mental benefits identified as part of the development, 

8 production, and use of geothermal energy with the po9 tential emission reductions of greenhouse gases gained 

10 by geothermal energy development, production, and 

11 use; and 

12 ‘‘(4) in carrying out this section, the Secretary 

13 shall, to the maximum extent practicable, consult 

14 with relevant federal agencies, including the Environ15 mental Protection Agency. 

16 ‘‘(c) RESERVOIR THERMAL ENERGY STORAGE.—The 

17 Secretary shall support a program of research, development, 

18 and demonstration of reservoir thermal energy storage, em19 phasizing cost-effective improvements through deep direct 

20 use engineering, design, and systems research. 

21 ‘‘(d) OIL AND GAS TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER INITIA22 TIVE.— 

23 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall support 

24 an initiative among the Office of Fossil Energy, the 

25 Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, 


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1 and the private sector to research, develop, and dem2 onstrate relevant advanced technologies and operation 

3 techniques used in the oil and gas sector for use in 

4 geothermal energy development. 

5 ‘‘(2) PRIORITIES.—In carrying out paragraph 

6 (1), the Secretary shall prioritize technologies with the 

7 greatest potential to significantly increase the use and 

8 lower the cost of geothermal energy in the United 

9 States, including the cost and speed of geothermal 

10 drilling surface technologies, and well construction. 

11 ‘‘(e) COPRODUCTION OF GEOTHERMAL ENERGY AND

12 MINERALS PRODUCTION RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

13 INITIATIVE.— 

14 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall carry 

15 out a research and development initiative under 

16 which the Secretary shall award grants to dem17 onstrate the coproduction of critical minerals from 

18 geothermal resources. 

19 ‘‘(2) REQUIREMENTS.—An award made under 

20 paragraph (1) shall— 

21 ‘‘(A) improve the cost effectiveness of remov22 ing minerals from geothermal brines as part of 

23 the coproduction process; 

24 ‘‘(B) increase recovery rates of the targeted 

25 mineral commodity; 


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1 ‘‘(C) decrease water use and other environ2 mental impacts, as determined by the Secretary; 

3 and 

4 ‘‘(D) demonstrate a path to commercial via5 bility. 

6 ‘‘(f) FLEXIBLE OPERATIONS.—The Secretary shall 

7 support a research initiative on flexible operation of geo8 thermal power plants. 

9 ‘‘(g) HYBRID ENERGY SYSTEMS.—The Secretary shall 

10 identify opportunities for joint research, development, and 

11 demonstration programs between geothermal systems and 

12 other energy generation or storage systems.’’. 

13 SEC. 5. ENHANCED GEOTHERMAL SYSTEMS RESEARCH AND 

14 DEVELOPMENT. 

15 Section 615 of the Energy Independence and Security 

16 Act of 2007 (42 U.S.C. 17194) is amended to read as fol17 lows: 

18 ‘‘SEC. 615. ENHANCED GEOTHERMAL SYSTEMS RESEARCH 

19 AND DEVELOPMENT. 

20 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall support a pro21 gram of research, development, demonstration, and commer22 cial application for enhanced geothermal systems, including 

23 the programs described in subsection (b). 

24 ‘‘(b) ENHANCED GEOTHERMAL SYSTEMS TECH25 NOLOGIES.—In collaboration with industry partners, instiVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:31 Sep 11, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H5374.RH H5374

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1 tutions of higher education, and the national laboratories, 

2 the Secretary shall support a program of research, develop3 ment, demonstration, and commercial application of the 

4 technologies to achieve higher efficiency and lower cost en5 hanced geothermal systems, including— 

6 ‘‘(1) reservoir stimulation; 

7 ‘‘(2) drilled, non-stimulated (e.g. closed-loop) res8 ervoir technologies; 

9 ‘‘(3) reservoir characterization, monitoring, and 

10 modeling and understanding of the surface area and 

11 volume of fractures; 

12 ‘‘(4) stress and fracture mapping including real 

13 time monitoring and modeling; 

14 ‘‘(5) tracer development; 

15 ‘‘(6) three and four-dimensional seismic imaging 

16 and tomography; 

17 ‘‘(7) well placement and orientation; 

18 ‘‘(8) long-term reservoir management; 

19 ‘‘(9) drilling technologies, methods, and tools; 

20 ‘‘(10) improved exploration tools; 

21 ‘‘(11) zonal isolation; and 

22 ‘‘(12) understanding induced seismicity risks 

23 from reservoir engineering and stimulation. 

24 ‘‘(c) FRONTIER OBSERVATORY FOR RESEARCH IN

25 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY.—The Secretary shall support the 


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1 establishment and construction of up to 3 field research 

2 sites, which shall each be known as a ‘Frontier Observatory 

3 for Research in Geothermal Energy’ or ‘FORGE’ site to de4 velop, test, and enhance techniques and tools for enhanced 

5 geothermal energy. 

6 ‘‘(1) DUTIES.—The Secretary shall— 

7 ‘‘(A) award grants in support of research 

8 and development projects focused on advanced 

9 monitoring technologies, new technologies and 

10 approaches for implementing multi-zone stimula11 tions, nonstimulation techniques, and dynamic 

12 reservoir modeling that incorporates all available 

13 high-fidelity characterization data; and 

14 ‘‘(B) seek opportunities to coordinate efforts 

15 and share information with domestic and inter16 national partners engaged in research and devel17 opment of geothermal systems and related tech18 nology, including coordination between FORGE 

19 sites. 

20 ‘‘(2) SITE SELECTION.—Of the FORGE sites re21 ferred to in paragraph (1), the Secretary shall— 

22 ‘‘(A) consider applications through a com23 petitive, merit-reviewed process, from National 

24 Laboratories, multi-institutional collaborations, 

25 institutes of higher education and other approVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:31 Sep 11, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H5374.RH H5374

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1 priate entities best suited to provide national 

2 leadership on geothermal related issues and per3 form the duties enumerated under this sub4 section; and 

5 ‘‘(B) prioritize existing field sites and fa6 cilities with capabilities relevant to the duties 

7 enumerated under this subsection. 

8 ‘‘(3) EXISTING FORGE SITES.—A FORGE site 

9 already in existence on the date of enactment of this 

10 Act may continue to receive support. 

11 ‘‘(4) FUNDING.—Out of funds authorized to be 

12 appropriated under section 12 of the ‘Advanced Geo13 thermal Research and Development Act of 2019’, there 

14 shall be made available to the Secretary to carry out 

15 the FORGE activities under this paragraph— 

16 ‘‘(A) $45,000,000 for fiscal year 2021; 

17 ‘‘(B) $55,000,000 for fiscal year 2022; 

18 ‘‘(C) $65,000,000 for fiscal year 2023; 

19 ‘‘(D) $70,000,000 for fiscal year 2024; and 

20 ‘‘(E) $70,000,000 for fiscal year 2025. 

21 In carrying out this section, the Secretary shall con22 sider the balance between funds dedicated to construc23 tion and operations and research activities to reflect 

24 the state of site development. 


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1 ‘‘(d) ENHANCED GEOTHERMAL SYSTEMS DEMONSTRA2 TIONS.— 

3 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Beginning on the date of en4 actment of the ‘Advanced Geothermal Research and 

5 Development Act of 2019’, the Secretary, in collabora6 tion with industry partners, institutions of higher 

7 education, and the national laboratories, shall sup8 port an initiative for demonstration of enhanced geo9 thermal systems for power production or direct use. 

10 ‘‘(2) PROJECTS.— 

11 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Under the initiative de12 scribed in paragraph (1), demonstration projects 

13 shall be carried out in locations that are com14 mercially viable for enhanced geothermal systems 

15 development, while also considering environ16 mental impacts to the maximum extent prac17 ticable, as determined by the Secretary. 

18 ‘‘(B) REQUIREMENTS.—Demonstration 

19 projects under subparagraph (A) shall— 

20 ‘‘(i) collectively demonstrate— 

21 ‘‘(I) different geologic settings, 

22 such as hot sedimentary aquifers, lay23 ered geologic systems, supercritical sys24 tems, and basement rock systems; and 


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1 ‘‘(II) a variety of development 

2 techniques, including open hole and 

3 cased hole completions, differing well 

4 orientations, and stimulation and non5 stimulation mechanisms; and 

6 ‘‘(ii) to the extent practicable, use ex7 isting sites where subsurface characteriza8 tion or geothermal energy integration anal9 ysis has been conducted. 

10 ‘‘(C) EASTERN DEMONSTRATION.—Not fewer 

11 than 1 of the demonstration projects carried out 

12 under subparagraph (A) shall be located an area 

13 east of the Mississippi that is suitable for en14 hanced geothermal demonstration for power, 

15 heat, or a combination of power and heat.’’. 

16 SEC. 6. GEOTHERMAL HEAT PUMPS AND DIRECT USE. 

17 (a) IN GENERAL.—Title VI of the Energy Independ18 ence and Security Act of 2007 is amended by inserting after 

19 section 616 (42 U.S.C. 17195) the following: 

20 ‘‘SEC. 616A. GEOTHERMAL HEAT PUMPS AND DIRECT USE 

21 RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT. 

22 ‘‘(a) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this section are— 

23 ‘‘(1) to improve the understanding of related 

24 earth sciences, components, processes, and systems 


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1 used for geothermal heat pumps and the direct use of 

2 geothermal energy; and 

3 ‘‘(2) to increase the energy efficiency, lower the 

4 cost, increase the use, and improve and demonstrate 

5 the effectiveness of geothermal heat pumps and the di6 rect use of geothermal energy. 

7 ‘‘(b) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

8 ‘‘(1) DIRECT USE OF GEOTHERMAL ENERGY.— 

9 The term ‘direct use of geothermal energy’ means geo10 thermal systems that use water directly or through a 

11 heat exchanger to provide— 

12 ‘‘(A) heating and cooling to buildings, com13 mercial districts, residential communities, and 

14 large municipal, or industrial projects; or 

15 ‘‘(B) heat required for industrial processes, 

16 agriculture, aquaculture, and other facilities. 

17 ‘‘(2) ECONOMICALLY DISTRESSED AREA.—The 

18 term ‘economically distressed area’ means an area de19 scribed in section 301(a) of the Public Works and 

20 Economic Development Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 

21 3161(a)). 

22 ‘‘(3) GEOTHERMAL HEAT PUMP.—The term ‘geo23 thermal heat pump’ means a system that provides 

24 heating and cooling by exchanging heat from shallow 

25 geology, groundwater, or surface water using— 


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1 ‘‘(A) a closed loop system, which transfers 

2 heat by way of buried or immersed pipes that 

3 contain a mix of water and working fluid; or 

4 ‘‘(B) an open loop system, which circulates 

5 ground or surface water directly into the build6 ing and returns the water to the same aquifer or 

7 surface water source. 

8 ‘‘(c) PROGRAM.— 

9 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall support 

10 within the Geothermal Technologies Office a program 

11 of research, development, and demonstration for geo12 thermal heat pumps and the direct use of geothermal 

13 energy. 

14 ‘‘(2) AREAS.—The program under paragraph (1) 

15 may include research, development, demonstration, 

16 and commercial application of— 

17 ‘‘(A) geothermal ground loop efficiency im18 provements, cost reductions, and improved in19 stallation and operations methods; 

20 ‘‘(B) the use of geothermal energy for build21 ing-scale energy storage; 

22 ‘‘(C) the use of geothermal energy as a grid 

23 management resource or seasonal energy storage; 

24 ‘‘(D) geothermal heat pump efficiency im25 provements; 


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1 ‘‘(E) the use of alternative fluids as a heat 

2 exchange medium, such as hot water found in 

3 mines and mine shafts, graywater, or other 

4 fluids that may improve the economics of geo5 thermal heat pumps; 

6 ‘‘(F) heating of districts, neighborhoods, 

7 communities, large commercial or public build8 ings, and industrial and manufacturing facili9 ties; 

10 ‘‘(G) the use of low temperature ground11 water for direct use; and 

12 ‘‘(H) system integration of direct use with 

13 geothermal electricity production. 

14 ‘‘(3) ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS.—In carrying 

15 out the program, the Secretary shall identify and 

16 mitigate potential environmental impacts in accord17 ance with section 614(c). 

18 ‘‘(d) GRANTS.— 

19 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall carry 

20 out the program established in subsection (c) by mak21 ing grants available to State, local, and Tribal gov22 ernments, institutions of higher education, nonprofit 

23 entities, National Laboratories, utilities, and for-prof24 it companies. 


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1 ‘‘(2) PRIORITY.—In making grants under this 

2 subsection, the Secretary may give priority to pro3 posals that apply to large buildings, commercial dis4 tricts, and residential communities that are located in 

5 economically distressed areas and areas that the Sec6 retary determines to have high economic potential for 

7 geothermal district heating based on the report, 

8 ‘Geovision: Harnessing the Heat Beneath our Feet’ 

9 published by the Department in 2019, or a successor 

10 report.’’. 

11 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 1(b) of the 

12 Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (42 U.S.C. 

13 17001 note) is amended in the table of contents by inserting 

14 after the item relating to section 616 the following: 

‘‘616A. Geothermal heat pumps and direct use research and development.’’. 

15 SEC. 7. COST SHARING AND PROPOSAL EVALUATION. 

16 Section 617(b) of the Energy Independence and Secu17 rity Act of 2007 (42 U.S.C. 17196) is amended by striking 

18 paragraph (2) and redesignating paragraphs (3) and (4) 

19 as paragraphs (2) and (3), respectively. 

20 SEC. 8. ADVANCED GEOTHERMAL COMPUTING AND DATA 

21 SCIENCE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT. 

22 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 618 of the Energy Inde23 pendence and Security Act of 2007 (42 U.S.C. 17197) is 

24 amended to read as follows: 


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1 ‘‘SEC. 618. ADVANCED GEOTHERMAL COMPUTING AND DATA 

2 SCIENCE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT. 

3 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall carry out a 

4 program of research and development of advanced com5 puting and data science tools for geothermal energy. 

6 ‘‘(b) PROGRAMS.—The program authorized in sub7 section (a) shall include the following: 

8 ‘‘(1) ADVANCED COMPUTING FOR GEOTHERMAL

9 SYSTEMS TECHNOLOGIES.—Research, development, 

10 and demonstration of technologies to develop advanced 

11 data, machine learning, artificial intelligence, and re12 lated computing tools to assist in locating geothermal 

13 resources, to increase the reliability of site character14 ization, to increase the rate and efficiency of drilling, 

15 to improve induced seismicity mitigation, and to sup16 port enhanced geothermal systems technologies. 

17 ‘‘(2) GEOTHERMAL SYSTEMS RESERVOIR MOD18 ELING.—Research, development, and demonstration of 

19 models of geothermal reservoir performance and en20 hanced geothermal systems reservoir stimulation tech21 nologies and techniques, with an emphasis on accu22 rately modeling fluid and heat flow, permeability evo23 lution, geomechanics, geochemistry, seismicity, and 

24 operational performance over time, including collabo25 ration with industry and field validation. 


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1 ‘‘(c) COORDINATION.—In carrying out these programs, 

2 the Secretary shall ensure coordination and consultation 

3 with the Department of Energy’s Office of Science. The Sec4 retary shall ensure, to the maximum extent practicable, co5 ordination of these activities with the Department of En6 ergy National Laboratories, institutes of higher education, 

7 and the private sector.’’. 

8 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 1(b) of the 

9 Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (42 U.S.C. 

10 17001 note) is amended in the table of contents by amend11 ing the item related to section 618 to read as follows: 

‘‘Sec. 618. Advanced geothermal computing and data science research and development.’’. 

12 SEC. 9. GEOTHERMAL WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT. 

13 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 619 of the Energy Inde14 pendence and Security Act of 2007 (42 U.S.C. 17198) is 

15 amended to read as follows: 

16 ‘‘SEC. 619. GEOTHERMAL WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT. 

17 ‘‘The Secretary shall support the development of a geo18 thermal energy workforce through a program that— 

19 ‘‘(1) facilitates collaboration between university 

20 students and researchers at the national laboratories; 

21 and 

22 ‘‘(2) prioritizes science in areas relevant to the 

23 mission of the Department through the application of 

24 geothermal energy tools and technologies.’’. 


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1 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 1(b) of the 

2 Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (42 U.S.C. 

3 17001 note) is amended in the table of contents by amend4 ing the item related to section 619 to read as follows: 

‘‘Sec. 619. Geothermal workforce development.’’. 

5 SEC. 10. ORGANIZATION AND ADMINISTRATION OF PRO6 GRAMS. 

7 Section 621 of the Energy Independence and Security 

8 Act of 2007 (42 U.S.C. 17200) is amended to read as fol9 lows: 

10 ‘‘SEC. 621. ORGANIZATION AND ADMINISTRATION OF PRO11 GRAMS. 

12 ‘‘(a) EDUCATION AND OUTREACH.—In carrying out 

13 the activities described in this subtitle, the Secretary shall 

14 support education and outreach activities to disseminate 

15 information on geothermal energy technologies and the geo16 thermal energy workforce, including activities at the Fron17 tier Observatory for Research in Geothermal Energy site(s). 

18 ‘‘(b) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—In carrying out this 

19 subtitle, the Secretary shall also conduct technical assist20 ance and analysis activities with eligible entities for the 

21 purpose of supporting the commercial application of ad22 vances in geothermal energy systems development and oper23 ations, which may include activities that support expand24 ing access to advanced geothermal energy technologies for 

25 rural, Tribal, and low-income communities. 


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1 ‘‘(c) REPORT.—Every 5 years after the date of enact2 ment of Advanced Geothermal Research and Development 

3 Act of 2019 , the Secretary shall report to the Committee 

4 on Science and Technology of the House of Representatives 

5 and the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of 

6 the Senate on advanced concepts and technologies to maxi7 mize the geothermal resource potential of the United States. 

8 ‘‘(d) PROGRESS REPORTS.—Not later than 1 year 

9 after the date of enactment of the ‘Advanced Geothermal Re10 search and Development Act of 2019’, and every 2 years 

11 thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on 

12 Science and Technology of the House of Representatives and 

13 the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Sen14 ate a report on the results of projects undertaken under this 

15 part and other such information the Secretary considers ap16 propriate.’’. 

17 SEC. 11. REPEALS. 

18 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subtitle B of title VI of the Energy 

19 Independence and Security Act of 2007 (42 U.S.C. 17191 

20 et seq.) is amended by striking section 620. 

21 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 1(b) of the 

22 Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (42 U.S.C. 

23 17001 note) is amended in the table of contents by striking 

24 the item related to section 620. 


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1 SEC. 12. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

2 Section 623 of the Energy Independence and Security 

3 Act of 2007 (42 U.S.C. 17202) is amended to read as fol4 lows: 

5 ‘‘SEC. 623. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

6 ‘‘There are authorized to be appropriated to the Sec7 retary to carry out the programs under the ‘Advanced Geo8 thermal Research and Development Act of 2019’— 

9 ‘‘(1) $121,375,000 for fiscal year 2021; 

10 ‘‘(2) $132,750,000 for fiscal year 2022; 

11 ‘‘(3) $144,125,000 for fiscal year 2023; 

12 ‘‘(4) $150,500,000 for fiscal year 2024; and 

13 ‘‘(5) $151,875,000 for fiscal year 2025.’’. 

14 SEC. 13. INTERNATIONAL GEOTHERMAL ENERGY DEVELOP15 MENT. 

16 Section 624 of the Energy Independence and Security 

17 Act of 2007 (42 U.S.C. 17203) is amended— 

18 (1) by amending subsection (a) to read as fol19 lows: 

20 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Energy, in co21 ordination with other appropriate Federal and multilateral 

22 agencies (including the United States Agency for Inter23 national Development) shall support collaborative efforts 

24 with international partners to promote the research, devel25 opment, and demonstration of geothermal technologies used 


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1 to develop hydrothermal and enhanced geothermal system 

2 resources.’’; and 

3 (2) by striking subsection (c). 

4 SEC. 14. REAUTHORIZATION OF HIGH COST REGION GEO5 THERMAL ENERGY GRANT PROGRAM. 

6 Section 625 of the Energy Independence and Security 

7 Act of 2007 (42 U.S.C. 17204) is amended— 

8 (1) in subsection (a)(2), by inserting ‘‘ or heat’’ 

9 after ‘‘electrical power’’; and 

10 (2) by amending subsection (e) to read as fol11 lows: 

12 ‘‘(e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Out of 

13 funds authorized under section 12 of the ‘Advanced Geo14 thermal Research and Development Act of 2019’, there is 

15 authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

16 $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2021 through 2025.’’. 


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Union Calendar No. 401 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 5374 

[Report No. 116–500, Part I] 

A BILL 

To establish and support advanced geothermal rement of Energy, and for other purposes. search and development programs at the DepartSEPTEMBER 11, 2020 

Reported from the Committee on Science, Space, and 

Technology with an amendment 

SEPTEMBER 11, 2020 

Committee on Education and Labor discharged; comState of the Union and ordered to be printed mitted to the Committee of the Whole House on the 


pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS