I 
119TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 398 
To amend the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970 to provide cost-recovery 
authority for the Department of the Interior. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 14, 2025 
Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Natural Resources 
A BILL 
To amend the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970 to provide 
cost-recovery authority for the Department of the Interior. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Geothermal Cost-Re-
covery Authority Act of 2025’’. 
SEC. 2. COST RECOVERY FROM GEOTHERMAL LEASING, 
PERMITTING, AND INSPECTIONS. 
Section 6 of the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970 (30 
U.S.C. 1005) is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
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‘‘(j) COST RECOVERY.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—During the period that be-
gins on the date of enactment of this subsection and 
ends September 30, 2032, the Secretary may require 
an applicant for, or a holder of, a geothermal lease 
to reimburse the United States for all reasonable ad-
ministrative and other costs incurred by the United 
States from— 
‘‘(A) processing the application for the 
geothermal lease, including any application for 
an operations plan, geothermal drilling permit, 
utilization plan, site license, facility construc-
tion permit, commercial use permit, and any 
other approval associated with a geothermal 
lease; and 
‘‘(B) inspecting and monitoring— 
‘‘(i) geophysical exploration activities; 
‘‘(ii) the drilling, plugging, and aban-
donment of wells; and 
‘‘(iii) the construction, operation, ter-
mination, and reclamation of any well site 
or facility for the utilization of geothermal 
resources pursuant to the geothermal 
lease. 
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‘‘(2) CONSIDERATIONS.—In determining wheth-
er to require reimbursement under paragraph (1), 
the Secretary shall consider whether there is in ex-
istence a cooperative cost share agreement between 
the United States and the holder of a geothermal 
lease. 
‘‘(3) ADJUSTMENTS.—The Secretary may re-
duce the amount to be reimbursed under paragraph 
(1) if the Secretary determines— 
‘‘(A) that full reimbursement would impose 
an economic hardship on the applicant; or 
‘‘(B) that a less than full reimbursement is 
necessary to promote the greatest use of geo-
thermal resources. 
‘‘(4) USE.—The amounts reimbursed under this 
subsection shall be credited to the currently applica-
ble appropriation, account, or fund of the Depart-
ment of the Interior as discretionary offsetting col-
lections, and shall be available only to the extent 
provided in advance in appropriations Acts for— 
‘‘(A) processing the application for geo-
thermal leases, including any application for op-
erations plans, geothermal drilling permits, uti-
lization plans, site licenses, facility construction 
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permits, commercial use permits, and any other 
approval associated with geothermal leases; and 
‘‘(B) inspecting and monitoring— 
‘‘(i) geophysical exploration activities; 
‘‘(ii) the drilling, plugging, and aban-
donment of wells; and 
‘‘(iii) the construction, operation, ter-
mination, and reclamation of any well site 
or facility for the utilization of geothermal 
resources pursuant to geothermal leases.’’. 
SEC. 3. REPORT. 
(a) REPORT.—Not later than 5 years after the date 
of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Interior, 
in consultation with the geothermal industry and other 
stakeholders, shall submit to the Committee on Natural 
Resources of the House of Representatives and the Com-
mittee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate, 
and make publicly available on the website of the Depart-
ment of the Interior, a report that includes— 
(1) an assessment of how the amendments 
made by section 2 of this Act affected the Bureau 
of Land Management’s geothermal program; 
(2) any recommendations for reauthorization of 
section 6(j) of the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970, 
as added by this Act; and 
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(3) any other recommendations for updates to 
such section and the Bureau of Land Management’s 
geothermal program. 
(b) CONSIDERATIONS.—In developing the report re-
quired in subsection (a), the Secretary of the Interior shall 
solicit facts or information from the geothermal industry 
and other stakeholders. 
Æ 
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