CLEAN Act
Geothermal Energy: Increasing Lease Sales and Speeding Up Permits
The CLEAN Act is currently being reviewed by the House Committee on Natural Resources. The committee recently voted to advance the bill with changes, so it is actively moving forward in the legislative process. There are no further actions scheduled at this time.
Legislative Progress
While this bill has support from Western Republicans and may pass the House, it lacks the broad bipartisan backing usually needed to pass the Senate and become law.
Key Points
- This bill aims to boost clean energy by making it easier and faster to start geothermal projects on federal land. Geothermal energy uses heat from underground to create electricity and is a constant source of power.
- The government would have to hold lease sales every year instead of every two years. If a sale gets canceled or delayed for any reason, the Department of the Interior must hold a replacement sale within that same year.
- Officials would be required to offer all land that has been nominated for geothermal use as long as it fits current land management plans. This prevents the government from holding back specific areas that companies want to develop.
- The bill sets strict deadlines for drilling permits. The government would have 30 days to tell a company if their application is complete and another 30 days to make a final decision on whether they can drill.
- Supporters believe this will help the country produce more renewable energy and become more energy independent. Critics often worry that fast-tracking permits might lead to shorter or less thorough environmental reviews.
Impact Analysis
Govbase has not yet run an impact analysis on this legislation.
Milestones
Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.
Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H3758-3759)
The House fast-tracked this bill — limited debate, no amendments allowed, but needs two-thirds support to pass.
Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote.
The House fast-tracked this bill — limited debate, no amendments allowed, but needs two-thirds support to pass.
DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 1687.
Votes
No votes have been recorded for this legislation yet.
News
No related news coverage found for this legislation yet.
Source Information
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
CLEAN Act
Data Sources
Sponsor
Cosponsors
(4)Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.