H.R. 5576

IB
  Union Calendar No. 674
  119TH CONGRESS
  2D SESSION
  H. R. 5576
  [Report No. 119–773]
  To amend the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970 to promote timely exploration
  for geothermal resources under geothermal leases, and for other purposes.
  IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
  SEPTEMBER 26, 2025
  Mr. FULCHER introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
  Committee on Natural Resources
  AUGUST 27, 2026
  Additional sponsors: Ms. MALOY, Mr. KENNEDY of Utah, and Mr. BEGICH
  AUGUST 27, 2026
  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 September 26, 2025]
ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS
  VerDate Sep 11 2014   21:28 Aug 27, 2026   Jkt 069200   PO 00000   Frm 00001   Fmt 6652   Sfmt 6652   E:\BILLS\H5576.RH   H5576
2
  A BILL
  To amend the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970 to promote
  timely exploration for geothermal resources under geo-
  thermal leases, and for other purposes.
ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS
  •HR 5576 RH
  VerDate Sep 11 2014   21:28 Aug 27, 2026   Jkt 069200   PO 00000   Frm 00002   Fmt 6652   Sfmt 6652   E:\BILLS\H5576.RH   H5576
3
1Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
  2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
3   SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
4This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Enhancing Geothermal
  5 Production on Federal Lands Act’’.
6   SEC. 2. GEOTHERMAL PRODUCTION ON FEDERAL LANDS.
7The Geothermal Steam Act of 1970 (30 U.S.C. 1001
  8 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:
9   ‘‘SEC. 30. GEOTHERMAL EXPLORATION PROJECTS.
10‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section:
11‘‘(1) GEOTHERMAL  EXPLORATION  PROJECT.—
12The term ‘geothermal exploration project’ means the
13drilling of a temperature gradient well, monitoring
14well, calibration well, or another geothermal explor-
15atory well, including construction or making im-
16provements for such activities, on lands for which the
17Secretary has issued a geothermal lease—
18‘‘(A) that is carried out by the holder of the
19lease;
20‘‘(B) for which—
21‘‘(i) the last cemented casing string has
22an outer diameter of less than 133⁄8 inches;
23and
24‘‘(ii) the total unreclaimed surface dis-
ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS
25turbance at any one time within the project
  •HR 5576 RH
  VerDate Sep 11 2014   21:28 Aug 27, 2026   Jkt 069200   PO 00000   Frm 00003   Fmt 6652   Sfmt 6203   E:\BILLS\H5576.RH   H5576
4
1area is less than 8 acres, not including the
2area of a permanent or temporary access
3road;
4‘‘(C) that is completed in less than 180
5days, including the removal of any surface infra-
6structure from the project area; and
7‘‘(D) that requires the restoration of the
8project area within 3 years of the date of first
9exploration drilling to approximately the condi-
10tion that existed at the time the project began,
11unless the project area is subsequently used as
12part of energy development under the lease.
13‘‘(2) COVERED ACTIVITY.—The term ‘covered ac-
14tivity’ includes, with respect to exploration, develop-
15ment, or production (including direct use) of geo-
16thermal resources—
17‘‘(A) geotechnical investigations;
18‘‘(B) off-road travel in a right-of-way estab-
19lished by Congress, granted by a Federal agency,
20or included in a land use plan; and
21‘‘(C) construction, maintenance, realign-
22ment, and repair of an existing permanent or
23temporary access road within a right-of-way es-
24tablished by Congress, granted by a Federal
ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS
25agency, or included in a land use plan.
  •HR 5576 RH
  VerDate Sep 11 2014   21:28 Aug 27, 2026   Jkt 069200   PO 00000   Frm 00004   Fmt 6652   Sfmt 6203   E:\BILLS\H5576.RH   H5576
5
1‘‘(b) NON-MAJOR FEDERAL ACTION.—Geothermal ex-
  2 ploration projects and covered activities shall not be consid-
  3 ered major Federal actions under section 102(2)(C) of the
  4 National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C.
  5 4332(2)(C)).
6‘‘(c) REQUIREMENT TO PROVIDE NOTICE.—The holder
  7 of a geothermal lease shall provide to the Secretary notice
  8 of their intent to carry out a geothermal exploration project
  9 at least 30 days before the start of drilling under the
  10 project.’’.
11    SEC. 3. FINDINGS.
12Congress finds that—
13(1) pursuant to section 109 of the National En-
14vironmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4336c), as
15amended by section 321(b) of the Fiscal Responsi-
16bility Act of 2023 (Public Law 118–5), the Bureau of
17Land Management announced on April 15, 2024, it
18had adopted categorical exclusions from the Depart-
19ment of the Navy and the United States Forest Serv-
20ice for geothermal exploration; and
21(2) if appropriately used, these categorical exclu-
22sions are expected to expedite the review and approval
23of geothermal exploration proposals on Bureau of
24Land Management lands.
ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS
  •HR 5576 RH
  VerDate Sep 11 2014   21:28 Aug 27, 2026   Jkt 069200   PO 00000   Frm 00005   Fmt 6652   Sfmt 6203   E:\BILLS\H5576.RH   H5576
  Union Calendar No. 674
119TH CONGRESS
   2D SESSION       H. R. 5576
  [Report No. 119–773]
  H5576
  A BILL
  E:\BILLS\H5576.RH
To amend the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970 to
  promote timely exploration for geothermal re-
  sources under geothermal leases, and for other
  purposes.
  Sfmt 6651
  AUGUST 27, 2026
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Com-
  Fmt 6651
  mittee of the Whole House on the State of the Union,
  and ordered to be printed
  Frm 00006
  PO 00000
  Jkt 069200
  21:28 Aug 27, 2026
  VerDate Sep 11 2014
  ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS