House Passes Ocasio-Cortez’s Bill to Scale Up Development of Geothermal Energy Projects

WASHINGTON, D.C.  – Today, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14) released the following statement following the House passage of the Geothermal Cost-Recovery Authority Act within the bipartisan Geothermal Energy Advancement Act.

“At a time when Americans are seeing their electric bills skyrocket, today’s passage of the Geothermal Cost-Recovery Authority Act is an important step forward in advancing reliable, clean energy solutions.

“My bill allows the Bureau of Land Management the flexibility to recoup application and inspection costs from energy companies. This flexibility would expedite geothermal projects without undermining community input or environmental protections.

“I appreciate my colleagues across the aisle who worked with us to pass this bill. At a time of extreme political polarization, this package shows that Congress can still come together on commonsense solutions to better the lives of the American people,” said Representative Ocasio-Cortez.

The Geothermal Cost-Recovery Authority Act would amend the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970 to allow the Department of the Interior to collect fees from energy companies and other geothermal leaseholders through September 30, 2033. This structure is similar to existing cost-recovery authority the Department already has for wind, solar, and oil and gas.

Fees collected would be spent to cover the cost of processing applications for geothermal leases and monitoring activities related to geothermal exploration and development on federal land. 

Read the full text of the bill here.

“Geothermal energy has the potential to provide reliable, homegrown clean energy, yet the geothermal program on public lands lacks the same support available to oil and gas, wind, and solar projects. We applaud Representative Ocasio Cortez's Geothermal Cost-Recovery Authority Act for leveling the playing field for this emerging clean energy source. This bill will help ensure the growth of geothermal energy occurs responsibly while also maintaining healthy public lands for current and future generations.” Justin Meuse, Government Relations Director, The Wilderness Society.

"Geothermal energy can produce many gigawatts of clean, firm power and provide good-paying jobs for American workers — if we can deploy it at scale. The Geothermal Cost-Recovery Authority Act will enable DOI to recover the costs of processing geothermal applications and inspecting and monitoring geothermal projects. This commonsense legislation will increase agency capacity for geothermal within DOI, improving permitting timelines and helping geothermal energy reach its full potential," said Terra Rogers, Senior Program Director, Clean Air Task Force.

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