Next-Generation Geothermal Research and Development Act
HB8790, the Next-Generation Geothermal Research and Development Act, would amend the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 to expand and modernize federal geothermal research and development policy. The bill broadens the statutory focus from enhanced geothermal systems to “next-generation geothermal systems,” explicitly including closed-loop geothermal systems, supercritical geothermal, and other innovative geothermal technologies. It also adds formal definitions for these terms and directs the Department of Energy to incorporate machine learning and other advanced tools into geothermal research.
The bill creates a more structured federal research, development, demonstration, and commercial application program for next-generation geothermal technologies within DOE’s Geothermal Technologies Office. It calls for expanded data collection and sharing, including publicly available subsurface data from fossil fuel, mining, critical minerals, and energy projects; periodic updates to a geothermal data repository; a memorandum of understanding between DOE and Interior; regional data probes and exploration boreholes; and a study of site-selection characteristics for supercritical geothermal in the states and U.S. territories. It also requires at least one FORGE site to be capable of next-generation geothermal testing, establishes a competitive center of excellence, authorizes commercialization grants, and requires recurring progress reports and a water-use report.
The bill would also update the geothermal resource assessment process under the Energy Policy Act of 1992 by requiring quadrennial updates and directing the U.S. Geological Survey to assess geothermal potential in U.S. territories and regions with significant supercritical geothermal potential. It authorizes $150 million annually for fiscal years 2027 through 2031, to be drawn from amounts otherwise authorized for DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. In practical terms, the bill would expand federal support for geothermal innovation, data infrastructure, and commercialization pathways, while also increasing reporting and coordination obligations across DOE, Interior, and related federal entities.
The available legislative history suggests generally favorable treatment of the bill. It was ordered to be reported by voice vote in committee, and there are no recorded roll-call votes or committee transcript excerpts indicating organized opposition in the provided materials. The absence of recorded dissent, combined with the voice-vote reporting action, suggests broad committee support for advancing geothermal research and development.
No specific points of contention are documented in the provided context, but the bill’s likely pressure points include federal spending, the scope of DOE and Interior coordination, the use of public data from fossil fuel and mining operations, and the feasibility of drilling and testing in supercritical conditions. The bill also appears to place emphasis on commercialization and public-private partnerships, which may raise questions about project selection, cost sharing, and the balance between basic research and near-term deployment.
HB8790 would amend multiple provisions of federal energy law, chiefly the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 and the geothermal resource assessment provisions of the Energy Policy Act of 1992. It would expand statutory definitions, direct DOE to run a broader next-generation geothermal program, require new data-sharing and reporting mechanisms, authorize competitive grants and a center of excellence, and mandate more frequent geothermal resource assessments. The bill would affect DOE, the Department of the Interior, the U.S. Geological Survey, national laboratories, universities, private firms, and geothermal developers, while also implicating state, local, tribal, and territorial governments through data sharing, site selection, and project coordination.
The bill appears to have been received positively in committee. It was ordered to be reported by voice vote, and no recorded votes or transcript excerpts in the provided materials indicate substantial opposition. The overall tone is supportive of expanding federal geothermal research, commercialization, and interagency coordination, with particular interest in advanced technologies such as closed-loop and supercritical geothermal systems.
No explicit controversy is documented in the provided record, but the bill’s main potential areas of debate are identifiable from its text. These include the authorization of $150 million per year in federal funding, the requirement to share subsurface data from fossil fuel and mining operations, and the practicality and environmental implications of drilling exploration boreholes and testing in supercritical conditions. Stakeholders most likely to care about these issues include DOE and Interior, geothermal developers, academic researchers, utilities, public-private partnerships, and potentially fossil fuel and mining interests affected by data-sharing requirements.