Geothermal Energy Advancement Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. KENNEDY of Utah. Mr. Speaker, today, we have an opportunity to unlock one of America's greatest untapped energy resources and invest in our Nation's future.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5631, the Geothermal Energy Advancement Act.

First, I thank Representative Hurd, Chairman Westerman, and my colleagues on the Natural Resources Committee, and the staff, theirs and mine, who put the work in to build this historic geothermal package. I am proud that my own bill, the Geothermal Royalty Reform Act, is being passed as part of it, giving developers the regulatory certainty they need to build.

Geothermal is one of the most promising, untapped renewable energy resources on the planet, and no State is better positioned to lead the world into this frontier than the State of Utah, with more than 10 gigawatts of reliable power beneath it.

The Department of Energy projects that next-generation geothermal could provide 90 gigawatts of power nationwide by 2050, a 20 times increase, enough to power millions of homes while meeting our rising demand.

It is firm, baseload power, the kind that can keep the grid stable and energy affordable for working families. Energy costs are climbing, and families feel it every month. Geothermal can be part of the answer.

What is standing in the way? For too long, it was our own regulatory environment. Geothermal developers have been forced through a maze of outdated permitting and duplicative reviews. This bill will clear those obstacles instead of creating them.

Mr. Speaker, the resource is real, the technology is proven, and American industry is ready to build. The only thing holding us back now is Washington itself. This bill changes that and puts the clean power beneath our feet to work. Let's unlock American energy and deliver the reliable power this country runs on.

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