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Congress·In Progress·H.R. 5631

Congress pushes Interior Department to speed geothermal permits with new BLM ombudsman and task force

Geothermal Ombudsman for National Deployment and Optimal Reviews Act

3 months ago·View on Congress.gov
Part of: Congress Moves to Fast-Track Geothermal Energy on Federal Lands

Legislative Progress

House
Senate
President
Law

Key Points

  • Congress would require the Interior Department to appoint a geothermal “ombudsman” inside the Bureau of Land Management within 60 days of the law taking effect.
  • The ombudsman would help speed up and smooth out permits for geothermal projects on public lands by tracking timelines, solving disputes, and setting best practices.
  • A new BLM Geothermal Permitting Task Force would be created, led by the ombudsman, to back up this work and help field offices handle permit workloads.
  • The ombudsman could temporarily assign staff from other Interior offices to help with geothermal permits in busy locations, and those staff may need to travel and work in person.
  • The bill allows extra pay to help keep hard-to-hire experts on these assignments (up to 25% of base pay, if Congress funds it), and requires yearly reports to Congress on results.
Renewable EnergyEnergyEnvironmentLabor Employment

Impact Analysis

Personal Impact

How this policy affects specific groups of people

Mixed Impacts(1)
Federal Employee
Neutral

Milestones

4 milestones7 actions
Mar 5, 2026House

Ordered to be Reported in the Nature of a Substitute (Amended) 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.

What Happens Next

Projected impacts based on AI analysis

Within 60 days after the law is enacted

Secretary of the Interior appoints a Geothermal Ombudsman within BLM

Geothermal applicants get a clear point of contact to help unblock stalled permits and resolve disputes between offices.

Within 60 days after the law is enacted

BLM sets up the Geothermal Permitting Task Force led by the Ombudsman

BLM can coordinate staff and standardize permitting practices across offices, which may shorten wait times for some projects.

After the Ombudsman and Task Force are in place

Cross-office staffing and travel support begins for high-workload permitting offices

Some permits may move faster, but some federal staff may be temporarily reassigned and required to work in-person and travel to other offices.

After staffing assignments start and if Congress funds it

Retention allowances may be offered to keep specialized permitting staff

Some federal employees could see a temporary pay boost (up to 25% of basic pay) to stay in hard-to-replace geothermal permitting roles, if funding is available.

Once per year after the Ombudsman is operating

Annual Ombudsman report to Congress on permitting performance

Congress gets regular updates on whether geothermal permits are moving faster and what is still causing delays, which can drive future changes.

Source Information

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Official Title

Geothermal Ombudsman for National Deployment and Optimal Reviews Act

Bill NumberHR 5631
Congress119th Congress
ChamberHouse of Representatives
Latest ActionOrdered to be Reported in the Nature of a Substitute (Amended) by Unanimous Consent.

Sponsor

Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.