House Natural Resources Committee Considers Geothermal Legislation

On Tuesday, December 16, 2025, the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources held a hearing to consider nine pieces of geothermal legislation. The bills under consideration will help accelerate the responsible deployment of next-generation geothermal technologies nationwide.

The Enhanced Geothermal Systems Deployment Coalition (EGS DC) submitted a letter for the hearing’s record to Committee Chair Bruce Westerman (R-AR) and Ranking Member Jared Huffman (D-CA) and Subcommittee Chair Pete Stauber (R-MN) and Ranking Member Yassamin Ansari (D-AZ) expressing the coalition’s support for all bills under consideration and urging the Committee to advance the legislation under consideration.

“Procedural inefficiencies create bottlenecks to development, lengthen project timelines, limit access to private financing, and slow technological progress. Streamlining federal permitting, while maintaining strong environmental protections, is critical to unlocking the nation’s geothermal potential,” wrote the Coalition.

Fervo Energy’s CEO Tim Latimer testified in the hearing, pressing for the need to accelerate and streamline geothermal permitting processes. According to Latimer, “The greatest barrier to geothermal growth isn’t technology—it’s process. Over 90 percent of geothermal resources lie beneath federally managed lands, yet permitting can take years. […] With targeted reforms to environmental review and transmission permitting, geothermal can become a cornerstone of America’s energy supply.”

The full letter from EGS DC can be found here.

The following bills were under consideration:

·       Geothermal Energy Opportunity (GEO) Act (H.R. 301; Rep. Celeste Maloy, R-UT)

·       Geothermal Cost-Recovery Authority Act of 2025 (H.R. 398; Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-NY) 

·       Streamlining Thermal Energy through Advanced Mechanisms (STEAM) Act (H.R. 1077; Rep. Susie Lee, D-NV)

·       Committing Leases for Energy Access Now (CLEAN) Act (H.R. 1687; Rep. Russ Fulcher, R-ID)

·       Enhancing Geothermal Production on Federal Lands Act (H.R. 5576; Rep. Russ Fulcher, R-ID)

·       Harnessing Energy At Thermal Sources (HEATS) Act (H.R. 5587; Rep. Young Kim, R-CA)  

·       Geothermal Gold Book Development Act (H.R. 5617; Rep. Yassamin Ansari, D-AZ)

·       Geothermal Ombudsman for National Deployment and Optimal Reviews Act (H.R. 5631; Rep. Jeff Hurd, R-CO)

·       Geothermal Royalty Reform Act (H.R. 5638; Rep. Mike Kennedy, R-UT)