A bipartisan permitting reform package remains elusive on Capitol Hill, but one underground energy source could help the effort pick up steam: geothermal energy.
Geothermal, once a relatively niche technology, is drawing attention from Republicans who favor baseload energy and Democrats focused on clean, cost-effective power.
Lawmakers have floated a flurry of bills to bolster geothermal and the administration is working to expand deployment, even as Republicans and the president target wind and solar. Some of that legislation could end up in a permitting package.
“Nobody really thought 15 years ago that geothermal was going to be a serious energy source on our grid,” said Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.). “Now they’ve done it right, and there are several projects going on right now where they’re gonna do it at scale. It’s pretty exciting.”
Geothermal’s rising popularity among lawmakers has a lot to do with the game-changing technological advancements the energy source has experienced in recent years.
Traditionally, geothermal was limited to states with recent volcanic activity or naturally hot, permeable rocks near the surface, confining it mainly to the western U.S.
A new breakthrough, called Enhanced Geothermal Systems, could change that. The technology allows developers to drill deeper underground to access hot rock closer to the Earth’s core.
In effect, it would make geothermal viable in far more locations nationwide. A 2024 DOE “Earthshot” report projects that Eastern states, including West Virginia and New York, could see long-term geothermal potential, raising its appeal among a wider swath of lawmakers.
And in an age where politics has become inextricably linked with an energy source’s success, it appears geothermal may have a built-in advantage.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright counts himself as a huge geothermal supporter, so much so that he led the investment of $10 million in Houston-based enhanced geothermal startup Fervo Energy in his former capacity as CEO of Liberty Energy.
“This is just an awesome resource that’s under our feet,” Wright said in March. “While geothermal hasn’t achieved liftoff yet, it should and it can.”
President Donald Trump name-checked geothermal in his energy dominance executive order. Both Trump and Wright have trashed other renewable energy sources.
On Capitol Hill, geothermal’s mix of reliability and low emissions gives it rare bipartisan appeal — comparable to nuclear and hydropower.
“My friends across the aisle when they were touting all wind and all solar, I’m saying I don’t know if y’all know this, but the sun goes down at night,” said Rep. Randy Weber (R-Texas) at a recent Washington event. “Unlike those two power sources, geothermal is 24/7.”
The technology also shares deep roots with the oil and gas industry, relying on similar drilling expertise and equipment. That connection resonates with Republican lawmakers familiar with fossil fuel permitting issues, including House Natural Resources Chair Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.).
“They’re basically facing the same issues around permitting and [the National Environmental Policy Act] that fossil fuels have been for years,” said a House Natural Resources staffer.
Among the legislative efforts, the “Geothermal Energy Opportunity Act,” H.R. 301 from Reps. Susie Lee (D-Nev.) and Celeste Maloy (R-Utah), would require the Interior Department to process geothermal drilling permits within 60 days — mirroring reforms sought by natural gas developers.
Westerman plans to hold a geothermal-focused legislative hearing this fall, which could send several bills to Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chair Mike Lee (R-Utah), another industry ally.
Lee and committee ranking member Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) have previously partnered on the “Geothermal Energy Optimization Act,” aimed at streamlining the permitting process for geothermal observation wells on public lands.
“Chairman Lee sees geothermal as one of those rare issues where lawmakers on both sides of the aisle see the same potential,” a Senate ENR spokesperson said. “That’s why he worked with Ranking Member Heinrich last Congress to introduce the bipartisan GEO Act.”
Permitting talks
Geothermal’s future may depend on whether lawmakers can fold proposals to ease the technology’s growth into a broader reform package — an effort that has repeatedly failed in recent years.
A 2024 proposal from then-ENR Chair Joe Manchin (I-W.Va.) and ranking member John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) included an entire geothermal section. It never reached the president’s desk.
“If we can have this be what unites the country and actually gets legislation to the president’s desk, that would just mean the world to me,” said Vanessa Robertson, director of policy education at Geothermal Rising, the sector’s main advocacy group. “Let’s show that we can agree on something.”
Robertson agreed that geothermal uniquely fits the moment as both a baseload power source and a renewable form of energy with no emissions.
“We couldn’t be more excited and ready to keep the momentum going,” Robertson said of the industry’s fortunes in Washington. “We’ve been utilizing geothermal for electricity generation for over 100 years, and it just has not gotten the attention and the funding, from a policy perspective, that it’s needed.”
She said geothermal has long been a “redheaded stepchild” of the energy world, particularly in regards to policies meant to promote it and ease its regulatory burden.
It’s starting to get more policy attention now, with bipartisan legislation on reducing permitting tasks that are seen as duplicative and requiring regular lease sales for geothermal energy on public lands.
Geothermal’s biggest recent victory, however, was in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which slashed most renewable energy tax incentives but preserved them for geothermal. Robertson called it a “monumental win” that amounted to a “make or break” moment.
Beyond the permitting and leasing issues, geothermal’s policy wishes include better funding for geothermal research and development at the Department of Energy, with goals like improving drilling technology and expanding electricity generation in areas that haven’t had significant geothermal activity before.
Lobbying up
Lobbying activity by the geothermal sector has heated up this year, with a handful of companies retaining advocacy firms for the first time.
Geothermal Rising Action, the industry group’s policy arm, retained Lot Sixteen its first lobbying firm in June, as lawmakers finished up Trump’s megalaw. It paid the firm $10,000 that month, according to congressional disclosures.
Robertson said the firm helps the industry group have “on-the-ground support” in Washington, and it hopes to be able to keep Lot Sixteen on board long-term.
Geothermal companies XGS Energy, Quaise Energy, Alterg Resources, Dandelion and Zanskar Geothermal & Minerals all hired lobbying firms for the first time in 2025, filings show.
The Enhanced Geothermal Systems Deployment Coalition, a project of Fervo Energy and Devon Energy, signed with Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld in August.
Halliburton Energy and Baker Hughes, drilling companies that mainly work in the oil and natural gas company, have also been lobbying on geothermal policies.
This story also appears in Energywire.
