IB 

Union Calendar No. 566 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 7422 

[Report No. 118–670] 

To amend the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970 to provide cost-recovery 

authority for the Department of the Interior. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 20, 2024 

Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Natural Resources 

SEPTEMBER 12, 2024 

Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole 

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

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

[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on February 20, 2024] 


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•HR 7422 RH

A BILL 

To amend the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970 to provide 

cost-recovery authority for the Department of the Interior. 


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•HR 7422 RH

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. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Geothermal Cost-Recov5 ery Authority Act of 2024’’. 

6 SEC. 2. COST RECOVERY FROM GEOTHERMAL LEASING AND 

7 PERMITTING. 

8 Section 6 of the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970 (30 

9 U.S.C. 1005) is amended by adding at the end the following: 

10 ‘‘(j) COST RECOVERY.— 

11 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—During the period that be12 gins on the date of enactment of this subsection and 

13 ends September 30, 2031, the Secretary may require 

14 a holder of a geothermal lease to reimburse the United 

15 States for all reasonable administrative and other 

16 costs incurred by the United States from— 

17 ‘‘(A) processing the application for the geo18 thermal lease, including any application for an 

19 operations plan, geothermal drilling permit, uti20 lization plan, site license, facility construction 

21 permit, commercial use permit, and any other 

22 approval associated with a geothermal lease; and 

23 ‘‘(B) monitoring— 

24 ‘‘(i) geophysical exploration operations; 


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•HR 7422 RH

1 ‘‘(ii) the drilling, plugging, and aban2 donment of wells; and 

3 ‘‘(iii) the construction, operation, ter4 mination, and reclamation of any well site 

5 or facility for the utilization of geothermal 

6 resources pursuant to the geothermal lease. 

7 ‘‘(2) CONSIDERATIONS.—In determining whether 

8 to require reimbursement under paragraph (1), the 

9 Secretary shall consider whether there is in existence 

10 a contributed funds agreement between the United 

11 States and the holder of a geothermal lease. 

12 ‘‘(3) ADJUSTMENTS.—The Secretary may reduce 

13 the amount to be reimbursed under paragraph (1) if 

14 the Secretary determines— 

15 ‘‘(A) that full reimbursement would impose 

16 an economic hardship on the holder of the geo17 thermal lease; or 

18 ‘‘(B) that a less than full reimbursement is 

19 necessary to promote the greatest use of geo20 thermal resources. 

21 ‘‘(4) USE.—The amounts reimbursed under this 

22 subsection shall be available to the Secretary of the 

23 Interior for expenditure for— 

24 ‘‘(A) processing the application for the geo25 thermal lease, including any application for an 


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•HR 7422 RH

1 operations plan, geothermal drilling permit, uti2 lization plan, site license, facility construction 

3 permit, commercial use permit, and any other 

4 approval associated with a geothermal lease; and 

5 ‘‘(B) monitoring— 

6 ‘‘(i) geophysical exploration operations; 

7 ‘‘(ii) the drilling, plugging, and aban8 donment of wells; and 

9 ‘‘(iii) the construction, operation, ter10 mination, and reclamation of any well site 

11 or facility for the utilization of geothermal 

12 resources pursuant to the geothermal lease.’’. 

13 SEC. 3. REPORT. 

14 (a) REPORT.—Not later than 5 years after the date 

15 of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Interior shall 

16 submit to the Committee on Natural Resources of the House 

17 of Representatives and the Committee on Energy and Nat18 ural Resources of the Senate, and make publicly available 

19 on the website of the Department of the Interior, a report 

20 that includes— 

21 (1) an assessment of how the amendments made 

22 by section 2 of this Act affected the Bureau of Land 

23 Management’s geothermal program, including the ac24 complishments of each field office relating to the co25 ordination and processing of geothermal permits and 


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1 any other approval associated with a geothermal 

2 lease; 

3 (2) any recommendations for reauthorization of 

4 section 6(j) of the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970, as 

5 added by this Act; and 

6 (3) any other recommendations for updates to 

7 such section and the Bureau of Land Management’s 

8 geothermal program. 

9 (b) CONSIDERATIONS.—In developing the report re10 quired in subsection (a), the Secretary of the Interior shall 

11 solicit facts or information from the geothermal industry 

12 and other stakeholders. 


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Union Calendar No. 566 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 7422 

[Report No. 118–670] 

A BILL 

To amend the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970 to 

ment of the Interior. provide cost-recovery authority for the DepartSEPTEMBER 12, 2024 

Reported with an amendment, committed to the Comand ordered to be printed mittee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, 


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