The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will take up a roster of public land and energy bills this week — including a list of proposals to encourage geothermal energy production.
Some of the bills on the Public Lands, Forests and Mining Subcommittee passed the House easily as part of a bipartisan geothermal energy package last month. Others are more contentious.
Among the measures from the House package is legislation to create a “geothermal ombudsman” and geothermal permitting task force within the Interior Department. Subcommittee ranking member Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) is sponsoring the Senate version, S. 4383.
Also on the hearing agenda from the House package are S. 4605 from Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) and H.R. 398 from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (R-N.Y.) to allow Interior to charge geothermal companies certain costs related to the permitting process.
