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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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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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-Recov-
ery Authority Act of 2024’’. 
SEC. 2. COST RECOVERY FROM GEOTHERMAL LEASING AND 
PERMITTING. 
Section 6 of the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970 (30 
U.S.C. 1005) is amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(j) COST RECOVERY.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—During the period that be-
gins on the date of enactment of this subsection and 
ends September 30, 2031, the Secretary may require 
a holder of a geothermal lease to reimburse the United 
States for all reasonable administrative and other 
costs incurred by the United States from— 
‘‘(A) processing the application for the geo-
thermal lease, including any application for an 
operations plan, geothermal drilling permit, uti-
lization plan, site license, facility construction 
permit, commercial use permit, and any other 
approval associated with a geothermal lease; and 
‘‘(B) monitoring— 
‘‘(i) geophysical exploration operations; 
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‘‘(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. 
‘‘(2) CONSIDERATIONS.—In determining whether 
to require reimbursement under paragraph (1), the 
Secretary shall consider whether there is in existence 
a contributed funds agreement between the United 
States and the holder of a geothermal lease. 
‘‘(3) ADJUSTMENTS.—The Secretary may reduce 
the amount to be reimbursed under paragraph (1) if 
the Secretary determines— 
‘‘(A) that full reimbursement would impose 
an economic hardship on the holder of the geo-
thermal lease; 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 available to the Secretary of the 
Interior for expenditure for— 
‘‘(A) processing the application for the geo-
thermal lease, including any application for an 
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operations plan, geothermal drilling permit, uti-
lization plan, site license, facility construction 
permit, commercial use permit, and any other 
approval associated with a geothermal lease; and 
‘‘(B) monitoring— 
‘‘(i) geophysical exploration operations; 
‘‘(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.’’. 
SEC. 3. REPORT. 
(a) REPORT.—Not later than 5 years after the date 
of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Interior shall 
submit to the Committee on Natural Resources of the House 
of Representatives and the Committee on Energy and Nat-
ural Resources of the Senate, and make publicly available 
on the website of the Department 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, including the ac-
complishments of each field office relating to the co-
ordination and processing of geothermal permits and 
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any other approval associated with a geothermal 
lease; 
(2) any recommendations for reauthorization of 
section 6(j) of the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970, as 
added by this Act; and 
(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. 
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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 
provide cost-recovery authority for the Depart-
ment of the Interior. 
SEPTEMBER 12, 2024 
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Com-
mittee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, 
and ordered to be printed 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
01:04 Sep 13, 2024
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