IB 

Union Calendar No. 678 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 6482 

[Report No. 118–831] 

To amend the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970 to promote timely exploration 

for geothermal resources under geothermal leases, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

NOVEMBER 28, 2023 

Mr. FULCHER introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Natural Resources 

DECEMBER 10, 2024 

Additional sponsor: Mr. NEWHOUSE

DECEMBER 10, 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 November 28, 2023] 


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A BILL 

To amend the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970 to promote 

timely exploration for geothermal resources under geothermal leases, 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. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Enhancing Geothermal 

5 Production on Federal Lands Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. GEOTHERMAL PRODUCTION ON FEDERAL LANDS. 

7 The Geothermal Steam Act of 1970 (30 U.S.C. 1001 

8 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following: 

9 ‘‘SEC. 30. GEOTHERMAL EXPLORATION PROJECTS. 

10 ‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

11 ‘‘(1) GEOTHERMAL EXPLORATION PROJECT.— 

12 The term ‘geothermal exploration project’ means the 

13 drilling of a temperature gradient well, monitoring 

14 well, calibration well, or another geothermal explor15 atory well, including construction or making im16 provements for such activities, on lands for which the 

17 Secretary has issued a geothermal lease— 

18 ‘‘(A) that is carried out by the holder of the 

19 lease; 

20 ‘‘(B) for which— 

21 ‘‘(i) the last cemented casing string has 

22 an outer diameter of less than 13 inches; 

23 and 

24 ‘‘(ii) the total unreclaimed surface dis25 turbance at any one time within the project 


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1 area is less than 5 acres, not including the 

2 area of a permanent or temporary access 

3 road; 

4 ‘‘(C) that is completed in less than 120 

5 days, including the removal of any surface infra6 structure from the project area; and 

7 ‘‘(D) that requires the restoration of the 

8 project area within 3 years of the date of first 

9 exploration drilling to approximately the condi10 tion that existed at the time the project began, 

11 unless the project area is subsequently used as 

12 part of energy development under the lease. 

13 ‘‘(2) COVERED ACTIVITY.—The term ‘covered ac14 tivity’ includes, with respect to exploration, develop15 ment, or production (including direct use) of geo16 thermal resources— 

17 ‘‘(A) a geotechnical investigation; 

18 ‘‘(B) off-road travel in a right-of-way estab19 lished by Congress, granted by a Federal agency, 

20 or included in a land use plan; and 

21 ‘‘(C) construction, maintenance, realign22 ment, and repair of an existing permanent or 

23 temporary access road within a right-of-way es24 tablished by Congress, granted by a Federal 

25 agency, or included in a land use plan. 


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1 ‘‘(b) NON-MAJOR FEDERAL ACTION.—Geothermal ex2 ploration projects and covered activities shall not be consid3 ered major Federal actions under section 102(2)(C) of the 

4 National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 

5 4332(2)(C)). 

6 ‘‘(c) REQUIREMENT TO PROVIDE NOTICE.—The holder 

7 of a geothermal lease shall provide to the Secretary notice 

8 of their intent to carry out a geothermal exploration project 

9 at least 30 days before the start of drilling under the 

10 project.’’. 

11 SEC. 3. GEOTHERMAL LEASING PRIORITY AREAS. 

12 The Geothermal Steam Act of 1970 (30 U.S.C. 1001 

13 et seq.) is further amended by adding at the end the fol14 lowing: 

15 ‘‘SEC. 31. GEOTHERMAL LEASING PRIORITY AREAS. 

16 ‘‘(a) DEFINITION OF COVERED LAND.—In this section, 

17 the term ‘covered land’ means land that is— 

18 ‘‘(1) Federal land; and 

19 ‘‘(2) not excluded from the development of geo20 thermal energy under— 

21 ‘‘(A) a land use plan established under the 

22 Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 

23 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.); or 

24 ‘‘(B) any other Federal law. 


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1 ‘‘(b) DESIGNATION OF GEOTHERMAL LEASING PRI2 ORITY AREAS.—The Secretary, in consultation with the 

3 Secretary of Energy, shall designate portions of covered 

4 land as geothermal leasing priority areas as soon as prac5 ticable, but not later than 5 years, after the date of enact6 ment of this section. 

7 ‘‘(c) CRITERIA FOR SELECTION.—In determining 

8 which covered lands to designate as geothermal leasing pri9 ority areas under subsection (b), the Secretary, in consulta10 tion with the Secretary of Energy, shall consider if— 

11 ‘‘(1) the covered land is preferable for geothermal 

12 leasing; 

13 ‘‘(2) production of geothermal energy on such 

14 land is economically viable, including if such land 

15 has access to methods of energy transmission; and 

16 ‘‘(3) the designation would be in compliance 

17 with section 202 of the Federal Land Policy and 

18 Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1712), including 

19 subsection (c)(9) of such section. 

20 ‘‘(d) REVIEW AND MODIFICATION.—Not less frequently 

21 than once every 5 years, the Secretary shall— 

22 ‘‘(1) review covered land and, if appropriate, 

23 make additional designations of geothermal leasing 

24 priority areas; and 


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1 ‘‘(2) review each area designated as a geothermal 

2 leasing priority area under this section, and, if ap3 propriate, remove such designation. 

4 ‘‘(e) PROGRAMMATIC ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATE5 MENT.— 

6 ‘‘(1) INITIAL DESIGNATIONS.—Not later than one 

7 year after the initial designation of a geothermal leas8 ing priority area, the Secretary shall prepare a sup9 plement to any final programmatic environmental 

10 impact statement for geothermal leasing that is the 

11 most recently finalized such statement with respect to 

12 covered land designated as a geothermal leasing pri13 ority area under subsection (b). 

14 ‘‘(2) SUBSEQUENT DESIGNATIONS.—Each des15 ignation of a geothermal leasing priority area under 

16 subsection (b) shall be included in a programmatic 

17 environmental impact statement for geothermal leas18 ing or in a supplement to such a statement. 

19 ‘‘(3) CONSULTATIONS.—In developing any pro20 grammatic environmental impact statement for geo21 thermal leasing or supplement to such a statement 

22 under this section, the Secretary shall consult, on an 

23 ongoing basis, with appropriate State, Tribal, and 

24 local governments, transmission infrastructure owners 


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1 and operators, developers, and other appropriate enti2 ties. 

3 ‘‘(4) PROCEDURE.—The Secretary may not delay 

4 issuing a permit or holding a lease sale under this 

5 Act because the supplement required under paragraph 

6 (1) has not been finalized by the Secretary. 

7 ‘‘(f) COMPLIANCE WITH NEPA.—If the Secretary de8 termines that the designation of a geothermal leasing pri9 ority area has been sufficiently analyzed by a pro10 grammatic environmental impact statement, the Secretary 

11 shall not prepare any additional analysis under the Na12 tional Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 

13 et seq.) with respect to geothermal lease sales for such geo14 thermal leasing priority area.’’. 

15 SEC. 4. FINDINGS. 

16 Congress finds that— 

17 (1) pursuant to section 109 of the National En18 vironmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4336c), as 

19 amended by section 321(b) of the Fiscal Responsi20 bility Act of 2023 (Public Law 118–5), the Bureau of 

21 Land Management announced on April 15, 2024, it 

22 had adopted categorical exclusions from the Depart23 ment of the Navy and the United States Forest Serv24 ice for geothermal exploration; and 


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1 (2) if appropriately used, these categorical exclu2 sions are expected to expedite the review and approval 

3 of geothermal exploration proposals on Bureau of 

4 Land Management lands. 


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Union Calendar No. 678 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 6482 

[Report No. 118–831] 

A BILL 

To amend the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970 to 

purposes. sources under geothermal leases, and for other promote timely exploration for geothermal reDECEMBER 10, 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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