The House will fast-track legislation this week to support research on geothermal technology, which has emerged as one of the most popular energy sources on Capitol Hill.
The chamber will vote on an amended version of H.R. 8790, the Next-Generation Geothermal Research and Development Act, from Reps. Pat Harrigan (R-N.C.) and Andrea Salinas (D-Ore.), which would direct the Department of Energy to research and commercialize new geothermal energy systems.
The bill passed the House Science, Space and Technology Committee earlier this year with an amendment to fortify “supercritical” geothermal wells that can produce more energy than other wells despite “inherent risks,” said Harrigan.
“The DOE’s mandate is to push the boundaries of what is possible,” Harrigan said during the markup. “We will never know what supercritical geothermal can deliver if we never try.”
