I 
★
118TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 8665 
To amend the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 to direct 
research, development, demonstration, and commercial application activi-
ties in support of supercritical geothermal and closed-loop geothermal 
systems in supercritical various conditions, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 7, 2024 
Mr. LUCAS (for himself and Ms. SALINAS) introduced the following bill; which 
was referred to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, and 
in addition to the Committee on Natural Resources, for a period to be 
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration 
of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee con-
cerned 
A BILL 
To amend the Energy Independence and Security Act of 
2007 to direct research, development, demonstration, and 
commercial application activities in support of supercrit-
ical geothermal and closed-loop geothermal systems in 
supercritical various conditions, and for other purposes. 
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 ‘‘Supercritical Geo-
thermal Research and Development Act’’. 
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•HR 8665 IH1S 
SEC. 2. GEOTHERMAL ENERGY. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Energy Independence and 
Security Act of 2007 is amended— 
(1) in section 612 (42 U.S.C. 17191; relating 
to definitions)— 
(A) by redesignating paragraph (8) as 
paragraph (9); and 
(B) by inserting after paragraph (7) the 
following new paragraph: 
‘‘(8) SUPERCRITICAL GEOTHERMAL.—The term 
‘supercritical geothermal’ means energy derived from 
a subsurface rock resource in-situ existing at or 
above the supercritical conditions of the primary 
fluid present.’’; 
(2) in section 613 (42 U.S.C. 17192; relating 
to hydrothermal research and development), by 
striking ‘‘advanced geologic tools to assist’’ and in-
serting ‘‘advanced tools, including machine learning 
algorithms, to assist’’; 
(3) in section 614 (42 U.S.C. 17193; relating 
to general geothermal systems research and develop-
ment)— 
(A) in paragraph (1) of subsection (d), by 
striking ‘‘among the Office of Fossil Energy, 
the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable 
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•HR 8665 IH1S 
Energy,’’ and inserting ‘‘across the Depart-
ment’’; and 
(B) in subsection (h)— 
(i) in paragraph (1), by inserting 
‘‘and publicly available subsurface data, in-
cluding data reported as part of fossil fuel 
and mining operations,’’ after ‘‘geothermal 
drilling information’’; and 
(ii) in paragraph (2), by adding at the 
end the following new subparagraphs: 
‘‘(C) UPDATES.—The repository estab-
lished under paragraph (1) shall be periodically 
updated in order to carry out the following: 
‘‘(i) Standardize data in a uniform 
manner to the maximum extent practicable 
and 
enable 
analysis 
across 
different 
projects. 
‘‘(ii) Enhance the accessibility and 
usability of data to increase analysis of 
geothermal energy, including enhanced, 
closed-loop, and supercritical geothermal, 
on regional, local, and site-specific scales. 
‘‘(iii) Increase uses of data, including 
data viewable by map and organization by 
common attributes such as region. 
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•HR 8665 IH1S 
‘‘(iv) Make other improvements in 
functionality and usability, as determined 
by the Secretary. 
‘‘(D) 
MEMORANDUM
OF
UNDER-
STANDING.—The Secretary shall enter into a 
memorandum of understanding with the Sec-
retary of the Interior, along with the heads of 
other relevant Federal departments, for noti-
fying, sharing, and providing opportunities for 
additional data collection regarding shared geo-
thermal development data from projects funded 
by each such department, including data from 
mining, critical minerals, and energy projects, 
such as subsurface heat data, seismic data, li-
thology data, boundaries of State and federally 
protected areas, and existing transmission ca-
pacity. To the maximum extent practicable, ac-
tivities conducted under such a memorandum of 
understanding shall prioritize heat, lithology, 
and strain profiles through deep exploration 
boreholes and control points for deep heat map-
ping and geothermal development. 
‘‘(E) REGIONAL
DEEP
DATA
PROBES.— 
The Secretary shall work with the Secretary of 
the Interior, who shall be responsible for com-
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•HR 8665 IH1S 
missioning the drilling of deep exploration 
boreholes deeper than eight kilometers in depth 
in representative geological provinces in the 
United States to provide control points for deep 
heat mapping and geothermal development. The 
resulting data shall include an exploration of 
heat, lithology, and strain profiles, and shall be 
shared publicly on the drilling data repository.’’; 
(4) in section 615 (42 U.S.C. 17194; relating 
to enhanced geothermal systems research and devel-
opment)— 
(A) in subsection (b)— 
(i) in paragraph (11), by striking 
‘‘and’’ after the semicolon; 
(ii) in paragraph (12), by striking the 
period and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(iii) by adding at the end the fol-
lowing new paragraph: 
‘‘(13) the research topics specified in subpara-
graphs (1) through (12) in supercritical condi-
tions.’’; 
(B) in subsection (c), by adding at the end 
the following new paragraph: 
‘‘(8) SUPERCRITICAL NEXT GENERATION GEO-
THERMAL TESTING.—Not later than one year after 
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•HR 8665 IH1S 
the date of the enactment of this paragraph, the 
Secretary shall take such actions as may be nec-
essary to ensure that at least one FORGE site has 
the capabilities to include supercritical geothermal 
testing and, if practicable and technically feasible, 
closed-loop geothermal systems in supercritical con-
ditions.’’; and 
(C) by adding at the end the following new 
subsection: 
‘‘(e) SUPERCRITICAL GEOTHERMAL RESEARCH AND 
DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—Within the Geothermal 
Technologies Office of the Department, the Sec-
retary shall support a program of supercritical geo-
thermal research, development, demonstration, and 
commercial application activities and, if practicable 
and technically feasible, closed-loop geothermal sys-
tems in supercritical conditions. 
‘‘(2) FOCUS AREAS.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—The program de-
scribed in paragraph (1) shall focus on the fol-
lowing topics: 
‘‘(i) Well completion. 
‘‘(ii) Permeability creation and man-
agement, including proppants and packers. 
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