3.0.0 562 2023-01-11T13:28:18Z 2023-01-11T13:28:18Z Senate S 2015-02-25 114 sseg00 Energy and Natural Resources Committee Senate Standing Hearings by 2015-05-19T21:05:32Z Referred to 2015-02-25T19:58:32Z North American Energy Security and Infrastructure Act of 2016 114 2012 S 2016-09-08 Conference held. 14:37:58 Related bill CRS 2015-05-19 sseg00 Energy and Natural Resources Committee Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Hearings held. Committee 2015-02-25 sseg00 Energy and Natural Resources Committee Senate Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. IntroReferral 2015-02-25 Introduced in Senate IntroReferral 10000 9 Library of Congress H001041 Sen. Heller, Dean [R-NV] Dean Heller R NV N R000584 Sen. Risch, James E. [R-ID] James Risch R ID E. 2015-02-25 True Energy Alternative and renewable resources Environmental assessment, monitoring, research Forests, forestry, trees Land use and conservation Energy 00 2015-02-25 Introduced in Senate 2016-01-11T17:18:49Z Geothermal Exploration Opportunities Act of 2015

This bill amends the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970 to categorically exclude from the requirements for an environmental assessment or an environmental impact statement under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) a geothermal exploration test project on National Forest System land or land managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) if the project is either:

  • a geophysical exploration activity that does not require drilling;
  • test drilling causing soil or vegetation disruption of fewer than 10 acres, including access, that is completed in fewer than 90 days and meets other requirements, such as for restoration of the site;
  • test drilling causing an individual surface disturbance of fewer than 5 acres with a total surface disturbance of fewer than 150 acres when a site specific analysis has been prepared;
  • test drilling on a site at which drilling has occurred within 5 years; or
  • test drilling on the site of a developed field that has been approved for drilling in the last 10 years pursuant to an approved land use plan or any NEPA environmental documents.

A leaseholder of a geothermal lease on federal land intending to carry out a geothermal exploration test project must provide notice to the Department of the Interior, with respect to BLM land, or to the Department of Agriculture (USDA), with respect to National Forest System land . BLM and USDA must: review those projects, notify the leaseholder of project deficiencies that preclude the NEPA exemption, and allow leaseholders an opportunity to remedy those deficiencies prior to the date that the leaseholder intended to start drilling.

]]> Geothermal Exploration Opportunities Act of 2015 Display Title Geothermal Exploration Opportunities Act of 2015 Official Title as Introduced A bill to promote exploration for geothermal resources, and for other purposes. Introduced in Senate IS Short Titles as Introduced Geothermal Exploration Opportunities Act of 2015 Introduced in Senate 2015-02-25T05:00:00Z https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-114s562is/xml/BILLS-114s562is.xml 2015-05-19 Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Hearings held. text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain. Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress This file contains bill summaries and statuses for federal legislation. A bill summary describes the most significant provisions of a piece of legislation and details the effects the legislative text may have on current law and federal programs. Bill summaries are authored by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) of the Library of Congress. As stated in Public Law 91-510 (2 USC 166 (d)(6)), one of the duties of CRS is "to prepare summaries and digests of bills and resolutions of a public general nature introduced in the Senate or House of Representatives". For more information, refer to the User Guide that accompanies this file.