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H.R. 7422 — what changed

Geothermal Cost-Recovery Authority Act of 2024

From Introduced in House to Reported in House. 1 section amended and 1 added between Introduced in House and Reported in House.

Sec. 2 Cost recovery from geothermal leasing and permitting

Section 6 of the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970 (30 U.S.C. 1005) is amended by adding at the end the following:

“(j) Cost recovery

changed “(1) In general—The general—During the period that begins on the date of enactment of this subsection and ends September 30, 2031, the Secretary may require an applicant for, or a holder of, of a geothermal lease to reimburse the United States for all reasonable administrative and other costs incurred by the United States from—

“(A) processing the application for the geothermal lease, including any application for an operations plan, geothermal drilling permit, utilization plan, site license, facility construction permit, commercial use permit, and any other approval associated with a geothermal lease; and

changed “(B) inspecting and monitoring—

changed “(i) geophysical exploration activities;operations;

“(ii) the drilling, plugging, and abandonment of wells; and

“(iii) the construction, operation, termination, and reclamation of any well site or facility for the utilization of geothermal resources pursuant to the geothermal lease.

changed “(2) Considerations—In determining whether to require reimbursement under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall consider whether there is in existence a cooperative cost share contributed funds agreement between the United States and the holder of a geothermal lease.”lease.

added “(3) Adjustments—The Secretary may reduce the amount to be reimbursed under paragraph (1) if the Secretary determines—

added “(A) that full reimbursement would impose an economic hardship on the holder of the geothermal lease; or

added “(B) that a less than full reimbursement is necessary to promote the greatest use of geothermal resources.

added “(4) Use—The amounts reimbursed under this subsection shall be available to the Secretary of the Interior for expenditure for—

added “(A) processing the application for the geothermal lease, including any application for an operations plan, geothermal drilling permit, utilization plan, site license, facility construction permit, commercial use permit, and any other approval associated with a geothermal lease; and

added “(B) monitoring—

added “(i) geophysical exploration operations;

added “(ii) the drilling, plugging, and abandonment of wells; and

added “(iii) the construction, operation, termination, and reclamation of any well site or facility for the utilization of geothermal resources pursuant to the geothermal lease.”

Sec. 3 Report

added
(a)
added Report— Not later than 5 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Interior shall submit to the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate, and make publicly available on the website of the Department of the Interior, a report that includes—
(1)
added an assessment of how the amendments made by section 2 of this Act affected the Bureau of Land Management’s geothermal program, including the accomplishments of each field office relating to the coordination and processing of geothermal permits and any other approval associated with a geothermal lease;
(2)
added any recommendations for reauthorization of section 6(j) of the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970, as added by this Act; and
(3)
added any other recommendations for updates to such section and the Bureau of Land Management’s geothermal program.
(b)
added Considerations— In developing the report required in subsection (a), the Secretary of the Interior shall solicit facts or information from the geothermal industry and other stakeholders.