H.R. 5631

Geothermal Energy Advancement Act

Sponsor: Jeff Hurd · 5 cosponsors

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Official summary

Written by the Congressional Research Service.

Geothermal Ombudsman for National Deployment and Optimal Reviews Act

This bill establishes a geothermal ombudsman and task force to oversee geothermal project permitting and authorizations on federal land.

The Department of the Interior must appoint a geothermal ombudsman from within the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The ombudsman must act as a liaison among different parts of BLM, provide dispute resolution services between BLM and geothermal project applicants, and facilitate permit processing in different BLM field offices regarding geothermal projects on federal land.

The ombudsman must also lead the Geothermal Permitting Task Force established by this bill. The task force must support the ombudsman’s duties. Through the task force, the ombudsman may reassign employees from other Interior bureaus or offices to assist in the completion of geothermal authorizations. The ombudsman may pay a retention allowance to reassigned employees. 

Text of the bill

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Sec. 4. Report Added Jun 2

Where this section came from

Not in the first version (Introduced in House, Sep 30).

  1. Jun 2, 2026 · Engrossed in House

(a) Report. Not later than 5 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Interior, in consultation with the geothermal industry and other stakeholders, shall submit to the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate, and make publicly available on the website of the Department of the Interior, a report that includes—

(1) an assessment of how the amendments made by section 3 of this Act affected the Bureau of Land Management’s geothermal program;

(2) any recommendations for reauthorization of section 6(j) of the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970, as added by this Act; and

(3) any other recommendations for updates to such section and the Bureau of Land Management’s geothermal program.

(b) Considerations. In developing the report required in subsection (a), the Secretary of the Interior shall solicit facts or information from the geothermal industry and other stakeholders.