Geothermal Energy Advancement Act
Jun 3, 2026
Introduced: Sep 30, 2025
Last updated: Jun 3, 2026
Jun 3, 2026
Introduced: Sep 30, 2025
Last updated: Jun 3, 2026
Summary
Creates new rules to speed up the process for getting leases and permits for geothermal energy projects on government land.
What problem does this solve?
Getting approval for geothermal energy projects on public land can be very slow and get stuck in legal challenges. This bill sets deadlines and creates special teams to make the approval process faster and more predictable for energy companies.
What does this bill do?
Reference
Text:
Section:
Sec. 2(h)(1)
Header:
Effect of pending civil actions on processing applications related to geothermal
Speeds up permit decisions during lawsuits
Requires the government to approve or deny geothermal permit applications within 60 days of finishing all legal reviews, even if there is a pending lawsuit, unless a court stops it.
Creates a geothermal ombudsman and task force
Establishes a special helper (Ombudsman) and a team within the Bureau of Land Management to solve problems, speed up permits, and manage the approval process for geothermal projects.
Allows faster environmental reviews
Applies certain existing environmental review shortcuts, which were created for oil and gas projects, to geothermal exploration. This helps avoid long environmental studies for some activities.
Reference
Text:
Section:
Sec. 3(j)(1)
Header:
Cost recovery from geothermal leasing, permitting, and inspections
Requires companies to pay for government costs
Allows the government to make companies pay for the costs of processing their applications and inspecting their projects. This authority lasts until September 30, 2033.
Reference
Text:
Section:
Sec. 5
Header:
Publication of Gold Book for geothermal operations on Federal lands
Updates the official guide for energy projects
Directs the government to update its main guide for energy projects (the "Gold Book") to include rules for geothermal energy and rename it to reflect the changes.
Changes how geothermal royalties are calculated
Adjusts the rules for royalty payments, tying the 10-year payment period to when a power plant starts making electricity, not just when the lease was signed.
Allows staff sharing and bonuses to speed up work
Lets the Geothermal Ombudsman assign expert staff from different offices to help with backed-up permit applications and offer bonuses to keep skilled employees.
Who does this affect?
- Geothermal energy companies
- Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
- Environmental groups
What is the real world impact?
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Promotes clean energy development
Encourages the growth of geothermal energy, a source of clean power, by making the government's approval process quicker and more efficient. This helps the country use more renewable energy.
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Provides certainty for energy companies
Reduces delays from lawsuits and slow government action, giving companies a clearer timeline for their projects. This makes it less risky for them to invest in geothermal energy.
When does this start?
The bill sets several different deadlines for government agencies to take action after it becomes law.
Appoint Geothermal Ombudsman
The Secretary of the Interior must appoint a Geothermal Ombudsman and create a Task Force within 60 days of the bill becoming law.
Update Geothermal Guidebook
The government must identify new guidelines within one year and publish an updated guidebook (the "Gold Book") for geothermal projects within 270 days after that.
Report to Congress
A report on how the new cost recovery rules are working must be sent to Congress within 5 years of the bill becoming law.
End of Cost Recovery Authority
The government's ability to charge companies for application and inspection costs will end on September 30, 2033.