Committing Leases for Energy Access Now Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. FULCHER. Mr. Chair, I thank the good chairman from Arkansas for his leadership on this issue.

Mr. Chair, I rise today in strong support of my bill, H.R. 1449, the Committing Leases for Energy Access Now Act, or the CLEAN Act.

To begin developing geothermal resources on Federal land, developers must first obtain a lease. While there is significant potential in this resource, 90 percent or thereabouts of the Nation's viable geothermal resources are located on Federal land. It makes lease sales crucial to the expansion of this energy source.

On the map behind me, Mr. Chair, you can tell just some of the regions where this resource is available, and it is vast. However, the time and costs associated with multiple environmental reviews, as well as the overall leasing and permitting processes, result in development schedules longer than many other power production projects.

The Geothermal Steam Act of 1970 currently requires the Secretary of the Interior to hold ``a competitive lease sale at least once every 2 years for land in a State that has nominations pending.'' However, this timeline is not always adhered to. As the chairman mentioned before me, some States, like California, have not held a competitive geothermal lease sale since 2016. If any State needs to be doing more proactive work for clean baseload, it would be our friends in California.

This legislation, H.R. 1449, amends the Geothermal Steam Act to require annual lease sales, instead of once every 2 years, for geothermal energy exploration on Federal land. Prioritizing geothermal exploration on Federal land will increase certainty for domestic companies looking to explore for geothermal resources while still requiring a full environmental assessment if the resources prove exploitable.

In addition, this bill requires the Department of the Interior to notify an applicant whether or not their application for a geothermal drilling permit is complete within 30 days of receiving the application.

I noticed my good friend across the aisle mentioned the resource concern for the Department of the Interior. There are some 70,000 employees in the Department of the Interior. If some need to be redirected, I am sure that can be accommodated.

If the Department of the Interior determines that an application is complete, then it must issue a final decision on the application within 30 days of the date the Department of the Interior sent the notification.

Securing American energy independence should be a top priority for Congress, and geothermal is a renewable, clean power source that can help us accomplish that goal.

Idaho already plays a leading role in geothermal energy production.

It is critical that we leverage every available resource to ensure that our Nation is self-sufficient and resilient in meeting its energy needs. Geothermal is a proven, clean, and efficient means to provide reliable baseload power.

Geothermal energy is one of the most promising and underutilized energy sources in the United States and has the potential to provide consistent power available 24/7, 365 days a year. The Department of the Interior projects that U.S. geothermal capacity could increase from the current 16 gigawatts to 38 gigawatts by 2035 and 90 gigawatts by 2050.

By expanding access to geothermal resources, we can increase energy production, create jobs, and reduce our dependence on foreign energy sources, which are oftentimes not friendly to the United States.

By ensuring geothermal lease sales are held annually, we can provide more certainty for energy developers, reduce delays in the development process, and create good-paying jobs, all while helping to meet our energy goals and reduce our dependence on foreign energy.

Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation, and I look forward to working with each of my colleagues to advance reliable domestic energy for all Americans.

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