I 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 6482 

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 

A BILL 

To amend the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970 to promote 

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

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: 


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1 ‘‘(1) GEOTHERMAL EXPLORATION PROJECT.— 

2 The term ‘geothermal exploration project’ means the 

3 drilling of a temperature gradient well, monitoring 

4 well, calibration well, or another geothermal explor5 atory well, including construction or making im6 provements for such activities, on lands for which 

7 the Secretary has issued a geothermal lease— 

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

9 the lease; 

10 ‘‘(B) for which— 

11 ‘‘(i) the last cemented casing string 

12 has an outer diameter of less than 13 

13 inches; and 

14 ‘‘(ii) the total unreclaimed surface dis15 turbance at any one time within the 

16 project area is less than 5 acres, not in17 cluding the area of a permanent or tem18 porary access road; 

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

20 days, including the removal of any surface in21 frastructure from the project area; and 

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

23 project area within 3 years of the date of first 

24 exploration drilling to approximately the condi25 tion that existed at the time the project began, 


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1 unless the project area is subsequently used as 

2 part of energy development under the lease. 

3 ‘‘(2) COVERED ACTIVITY.—The term ‘covered 

4 activity’ includes, with respect to exploration, devel5 opment, or production (including direct use) of geo6 thermal resources— 

7 ‘‘(A) a geotechnical investigation; 

8 ‘‘(B) off-road travel in a right-of-way es9 tablished by Congress, granted by a Federal 

10 agency, or included in a land use plan; and 

11 ‘‘(C) construction, maintenance, realign12 ment, and repair of an existing permanent or 

13 temporary access road within a right-of-way es14 tablished by Congress, granted by a Federal 

15 agency, or included in a land use plan. 

16 ‘‘(b) NON-MAJOR FEDERAL ACTION.—Geothermal 

17 exploration projects and covered activities shall not be con18 sidered major Federal actions under section 102(2)(C) of 

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

20 4332(2)(C)). 

21 ‘‘(c) REQUIREMENT TO PROVIDE NOTICE.—The 

22 holder of a geothermal lease shall provide to the Secretary 

23 notice of their intent to carry out a geothermal exploration 

24 project at least 30 days before the start of drilling under 

25 the project.’’. 


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1 SEC. 3. GEOTHERMAL LEASING PRIORITY AREAS. 

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

3 et seq.) is further amended by adding at the end the fol4 lowing: 

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

6 ‘‘(a) DEFINITION OF COVERED LAND.—In this sec7 tion, the term ‘covered land’ means land that is— 

8 ‘‘(1) Federal land; and 

9 ‘‘(2) not excluded from the development of geo10 thermal energy under— 

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

12 Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 

13 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.); or 

14 ‘‘(B) any other Federal law. 

15 ‘‘(b) DESIGNATION OF GEOTHERMAL LEASING PRI16 ORITY AREAS.—The Secretary, in consultation with the 

17 Secretary of Energy, shall designate portions of covered 

18 land as geothermal leasing priority areas as soon as prac19 ticable, but not later than 5 years, after the date of enact20 ment of this section. 

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

22 which covered lands to designate as geothermal leasing 

23 priority areas under subsection (b), the Secretary, in con24 sultation with the Secretary of Energy, shall consider if— 

25 ‘‘(1) the covered land is preferable for geo26 thermal leasing; 


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

2 land is economically viable, including if such land 

3 has access to methods of energy transmission; and 

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

5 with section 202 of the Federal Land Policy and 

6 Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1712), includ7 ing subsection (c)(9) of such section. 

8 ‘‘(d) REVIEW AND MODIFICATION.—Not less fre9 quently than once every 5 years, the Secretary shall— 

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

11 make additional designations of geothermal leasing 

12 priority areas; and 

13 ‘‘(2) review each area designated as a geo14 thermal leasing priority area under this section, and, 

15 if appropriate, remove such designation. 

16 ‘‘(e) PROGRAMMATIC ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

17 STATEMENT.— 

18 ‘‘(1) INITIAL DESIGNATIONS.—Not later than 

19 one year after the initial designation of a geothermal 

20 leasing priority area, the Secretary shall prepare a 

21 supplement to any final programmatic environmental 

22 impact statement for geothermal leasing that is the 

23 most recently finalized such statement with respect 

24 to covered land designated as a geothermal leasing 

25 priority area under subsection (b). 


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1 ‘‘(2) SUBSEQUENT DESIGNATIONS.—Each des2 ignation of a geothermal leasing priority area under 

3 subsection (b) shall be included in a programmatic 

4 environmental impact statement for geothermal leas5 ing or in a supplement to such a statement. 

6 ‘‘(3) CONSULTATIONS.—In developing any pro7 grammatic environmental impact statement for geo8 thermal leasing or supplement to such a statement 

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

10 ongoing basis, with appropriate State, Tribal, and 

11 local governments, transmission infrastructure own12 ers and operators, developers, and other appropriate 

13 entities. 

14 ‘‘(4) PROCEDURE.—The Secretary may not 

15 delay issuing a permit or holding a lease sale under 

16 this Act because the supplement required under 

17 paragraph (1) has not been finalized by the Sec18 retary. 

19 ‘‘(f) COMPLIANCE WITH NEPA.—If the Secretary 

20 determines that the designation of a geothermal leasing 

21 priority area has been sufficiently analyzed by a pro22 grammatic environmental impact statement, the Secretary 

23 shall not prepare any additional analysis under the Na24 tional Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 


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1 et seq.) with respect to geothermal lease sales for such 

2 geothermal leasing priority area.’’. 

Æ 


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