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Congress·In Committee

Congress Proposes $635 Million to Turn Deep Underground Heat Into Clean Electricity

Hot Rock Act

22 days ago·View on Congress.gov

Legislative Progress

✓ Filed
Review
House
Senate
President

Key Points

  • This bill creates several grant programs to help scientists and private companies figure out how to drill deeper and handle extreme heat. It focuses on 'hot dry rock,' which is heat trapped in deep underground rocks that do not have natural water to carry the energy to the surface.
  • It sets aside $635 million over five years for research, building a special testing site, and rewarding companies that hit major goals. These goals include successfully bringing super-hot fluids to the surface or converting old coal plants to use geothermal steam instead of coal.
  • A new training program would help workers from the oil and gas industry, like drillers and engineers, learn the skills needed for geothermal energy. This is designed to help people in energy-focused communities move into new types of jobs as the industry grows.
  • The Department of the Interior would be required to map deep rocks across the country and monitor groundwater to make sure the drilling is safe. It also simplifies the rules for exploring these energy sources on federal land to get projects started faster.
Energy EnvironmentLabor EmploymentEducation

Impact Analysis

Scores: 1 = low, 5 = highSentiment: -5 to +5 (net benefit)

State Impacts

Scores: 1 = low, 5 = highSentiment: -5 to +5 (net benefit)

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions
Feb 13, 2026House

Referred to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, and in addition to the Committees on Natural Resources, and Education and Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

Feb 13, 2026

Introduced in House

What Happens Next

Projected impacts based on AI analysis

End of fiscal year 2031 (September 2031)

Funding authorization expires after five years

All grant programs and research activities authorized by this bill would lose their funding authority at the end of fiscal year 2031, unless Congress renews them.

Related News

2 articles
Faster, Please!·19 days ago

American hot rocks

The Hot Rock Act targets 'superhot' rock found miles underground. The bill funds research, field demonstrations, and workforce training programs—including retraining for oil-and-gas workers—to create conditions for sustained experimentation similar to the shale revolution.

CR+
Bud's Offshore Energy·8 days ago

Hot Rock Act promotes superhot geothermal

The Hot Rock Act proposes $127 million per year for geothermal R&D, including testing sites and milestone payments. While promising, some industry observers question the need for federal funding given the significant private capital already flowing into startups like Quaise Energy.

CR~

Source Information

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Official Title

Hot Rock Act

Bill NumberHR 7568
Congress119th Congress
ChamberHouse of Representatives
Latest ActionReferred to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, and in addition to the Committees on Natural Resources, and Education and Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

Sponsor

Cosponsors

(1)
R: 1

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.