[House Report 119-656]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
119th Congress } { Report
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
2d Session } { 119-656
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STREAMLINING THERMAL ENERGY THROUGH ADVANCED MECHANISMS ACT
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May 20, 2026.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the
State of the Union and ordered to be printed
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Mr. Westerman, from the Committee on Natural Resources,
submitted the following
R E P O R T
[To accompany H.R. 1077]
The Committee on Natural Resources, to whom was referred
the bill (H.R. 1077) to amend the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to
expedite geothermal exploration and development in previously
studied or developed areas, having considered the same, reports
favorably thereon without amendment and recommends that the
bill do pass.
Purpose of the Legislation
The purpose of H.R. 1077 is to amend the Energy Policy Act
of 2005 to expedite geothermal exploration and development in
previously studied or developed areas.
Background and Need for Legislation
Enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) are man-made reservoirs
in which fluid is injected into areas of the subsurface
containing hot rock to reopen pre-existing fractures and create
permeability.\1\ Increased permeability allows fluid to
circulate through the re-fractured rock, transporting heat to
the surface for electricity generation.\2\ The U.S. Department
of Energy projects that EGS could provide 60 gigawatts of
electricity by 2050 (8.5 percent of U.S. generation
capacity).\3\ However, the duplicative leasing and permitting
process for geothermal development result in timelines longer
than those of many other energy projects.\4\
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\1\``What is an Enhanced Geothermal System (EGS)?'', U.S.
Department of Energy, Geothermal Technologies Office, https://
www1.eere.energy.gov/geothermal/pdfs/egs_basics.pdf.
\2\Id.
\3\``GeoVision: Harnessing the Heat Beneath Our Feet'', U.S.
Department of Energy, Geothermal Technologies Office, May 2019, https:/
/www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2019/06/f63/GeoVision-full-report-
opt.pdf.
\4\Morgan Smith, ``Enhanced Geothermal Systems: Introduction and
Issues for Congress'', Congressional Research Service, September 29,
2022, https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R47256.
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H.R. 1077 amends Section 390 of the Energy Policy Act of
2005 (EPAct05) to expedite geothermal development. The
legislation gives the Bureau of Land Management the authority
to grant categorical exclusions (CEs) for geothermal drilling
in instances where (1) drilling has occurred within the last
five years or (2) drilling will occur within an area for which
an approved environmental document that considered drilling was
completed pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act
within the last five years. By adding geothermal energy
development to Section 390 of the EPAct05, this bill would
expedite the approval process for needed geothermal projects.
Committee Action
H.R. 1077 was introduced on February 6, 2025, by
Representative Susie Lee (D-NV). The bill was referred to the
Committee on Natural Resources, and within the Committee to the
Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources. On December 16,
2025, the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources held a
hearing on the bill. On March 5, 2026, the Committee on Natural
Resources met to consider the bill. The Subcommittee on Energy
and Mineral Resources was discharged from further consideration
of H.R. 1077 by unanimous consent. The bill was ordered
favorably reported to the House of Representatives by unanimous
consent.
Hearings
For the purposes of clause 3(c)(6) of House rule XIII, the
following hearing was used to develop or consider this measure:
hearing by the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources
held on December 16, 2025.
Section-by-Section Analysis
Section 1. Short title
Section 1 names the bill the ``Streamlining Thermal Energy
through Advanced Mechanisms Act'' or the ``STEAM Act.''
Section 2. NEPA review
Section 2 amends Section 390 of the EPAct05 by adding
geothermal exploration and development to the CEs authorized by
that section.
Committee Oversight Findings and Recommendations
Regarding clause 2(b)(1) of rule X and clause 3(c)(1) of
rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives, the
Committee on Natural Resources' oversight findings and
recommendations are reflected in the body of this report.
Compliance With House Rule XIII and Congressional
Budget Act
1. Cost of Legislation and the Congressional Budget Act.
Pursuant to clause 3(c)(2) of House rule XIII and section
308(a) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, and pursuant to
clause 3(c)(3) of House rule XIII and section 402 of the
Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the Committee has requested
but not received from the Director of the Congressional Budget
Office a budgetary analysis and a cost estimate of this bill.
2. General Performance Goals and Objectives. As required by
clause 3(c)(4) of rule XIII, the general performance goal or
objective of this bill is to amend the Energy Policy Act of
2005 to expedite geothermal exploration and development in
previously studied or developed areas.
Earmark Statement
This bill does not contain any Congressional earmarks,
limited tax benefits, or limited tariff benefits as defined
under clause 9(e), 9(f), and 9(g) of rule XXI of the Rules of
the House of Representatives.
Unfunded Mandates Reform Act Statement
An estimate of federal mandates prepared by the Director of
the Congressional Budget Office pursuant to section 423 of the
Unfunded Mandates Reform Act was not made available to the
Committee in time for the filing of this report. The Chair of
the Committee shall cause such estimate to be printed in the
Congressional Record upon its receipt by the Committee, if such
estimate is not publicly available on the Congressional Budget
Office website.
Existing Programs
Directed Rule Making. This bill does not contain any
directed rule makings.
Duplication of Existing Programs. This bill does not
establish or reauthorize a program of the federal government
known to be duplicative of another program. Such program was
not included in any report from the Government Accountability
Office to Congress pursuant to section 21 of Public Law 111-139
or identified in the most recent Catalog of Federal Domestic
Assistance published pursuant to the Federal Program
Information Act (Public Law 95-220, as amended by Public Law
98-169) as relating to other programs.
Applicability to Legislative Branch
The Committee finds that the legislation does not relate to
the terms and conditions of employment or access to public
services or accommodations within the meaning of section
102(b)(3) of the Congressional Accountability Act.
Preemption of State, Local or Tribal Law
Any preemptive effect of this bill over state, local, or
tribal law is intended to be consistent with the bill's
purposes and text and the Supremacy Clause of Article VI of the
U.S. Constitution.
Changes in Existing Law Made by the Bill, as Reported
In compliance with clause 3(e) of rule XIII of the Rules of
the House of Representatives, changes in existing law made by
the bill, as reported, are shown as follows (existing law
proposed to be omitted is enclosed in black brackets, new
matter is printed in italics, and existing law in which no
change is proposed is shown in roman):
ENERGY POLICY ACT OF 2005
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TITLE III--OIL AND GAS
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Subtitle G--Miscellaneous
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SEC. 390. NEPA REVIEW.
(a) NEPA Review.--Action by the Secretary of the Interior in
managing the public lands, or the Secretary of Agriculture in
managing National Forest System Lands, with respect to any of
the activities described in subsection (b) shall be subject to
a rebuttable presumption that the use of a categorical
exclusion under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969
(NEPA) would apply if the activity is conducted pursuant to the
Mineral Leasing Act for the purpose of exploration or
development of oil or gas, or the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970
(30 U.S.C. 1001 et seq.) for the purpose of exploration or
development of geothermal resources.
(b) Activities Described.--The activities referred to in
subsection (a) are the following:
(1) Individual surface disturbances of less than 5
acres so long as the total surface disturbance on the
lease is not greater than 150 acres and site-specific
analysis in a document prepared pursuant to NEPA has
been previously completed.
(2) Drilling an oil [or gas], gas, or geothermal well
at a location or well pad site at which drilling has
occurred previously within 5 years prior to the date of
spudding the well.
(3) Drilling an oil [or gas], gas, or geothermal well
within a developed field for which an approved land use
plan or any environmental document prepared pursuant to
NEPA analyzed such drilling as a reasonably foreseeable
activity, so long as such plan or document was approved
within 5 years prior to the date of spudding the well.
(4) Placement of a pipeline in an approved right-of-
way corridor, so long as the corridor was approved
within 5 years prior to the date of placement of the
pipeline.
(5) Maintenance of a minor activity, other than any
construction or major renovation or a building or
facility.
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