The House Science, Space and Technology Committee approved legislation Wednesday to support research for geothermal energy, water power and transportation infrastructure.
The panel cleared the “Next-Generation Geothermal Research and Development Act,” H.R. 8790, 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 United States is facing twin crises of affordability and climate change,” said ranking member Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.). “The proliferation of carbon-free geothermal energy could be employed to ameliorate this situation instead of blindly exacerbating it, which seems to be the approach of the current administration.”
The committee approved an amendment from Harrigan to fortify “supercritical” geothermal wells that can produce more energy than other wells despite “inherent risks,” he said.
