Congress·In Progress
Geothermal Energy: New Fees for Permit Processing and Inspections
Geothermal Cost-Recovery Authority Act of 2025
Key Points
- This bill allows the Department of the Interior to charge geothermal energy companies for the administrative work required to process their leases and permits. Instead of taxpayers covering all the costs of reviewing these applications, the companies applying for them would pay for the government's time and resources.
- The money collected from these fees would be used specifically to fund the government's geothermal program. This is intended to help the government process applications faster and perform more frequent inspections of drilling sites and energy facilities to ensure they are safe and following environmental rules.
- Government officials would have the flexibility to lower or skip these fees if they would cause a company too much financial hardship. They can also reduce the costs if it helps encourage more geothermal energy production, which provides clean electricity by using heat from underground.
- This new fee system would stay in place until September 2032. After five years, the Department of the Interior must give a report to Congress explaining how the program has affected the geothermal industry and whether the rules should be updated or extended.
Milestones
4 milestones7 actions
Mar 5, 2026House
Ordered to be Reported by Unanimous Consent.
Mar 5, 2026House
Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held
Mar 5, 2026House
Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources Discharged
Dec 16, 2025House
Subcommittee Hearings Held
Dec 9, 2025House
Referred to the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources.
Source Information
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
Geothermal Cost-Recovery Authority Act of 2025
Bill NumberHR 398
Congress119th Congress
ChamberHouse of Representatives
Latest ActionOrdered to be Reported by Unanimous Consent.
Sponsor
Data Sources
Analysis generated by AI. While we strive for accuracy, this should not be considered legal or professional advice. Always verify information with official government sources.