[House Report 119-660]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
119th Congress } { Report
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
2d Session } { 119-660
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GEOTHERMAL OMBUDSMAN FOR NATIONAL DEPLOYMENT AND OPTIMAL REVIEWS ACT
_______
May 20, 2026.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the
State of the Union and ordered to be printed
_______
Mr. Westerman, from the Committee on Natural Resources, submitted the
following
R E P O R T
[To accompany H.R. 5631]
The Committee on Natural Resources, to whom was referred
the bill (H.R. 5631) to appoint a Geothermal Ombudsman and
establish a Geothermal Permitting Task Force from within the
Bureau of Land Management, and for other purposes, having
considered the same, reports favorably thereon with an
amendment and recommends that the bill as amended do pass.
The amendment is as follows:
Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the
following:
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Geothermal Ombudsman for National
Deployment and Optimal Reviews Act''.
SEC. 2. GEOTHERMAL OMBUDSMAN AND PERMITTING TASK FORCE.
(a) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Geothermal authorization.--The term ``geothermal
authorization'' means any license, permit, approval, finding,
determination, or other administrative decision issued by the
Bureau of Land Management and any interagency consultation that
is required or authorized under Federal law in order to site,
construct, reconstruct, or commence operations of a geothermal
energy project administered by the Bureau of Land Management.
(2) Geothermal energy project.--The term ``geothermal energy
project'' means a project wholly or partially located on public
land that uses geothermal energy to generate heat or
electricity.
(3) Public land.--The term ``public land'' means lands
subject to geothermal leasing under section 3 of the Geothermal
Steam Act of 1970 (30 U.S.C. 1002).
(4) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of
the Interior.
(5) Task force.--The term ``Task Force'' means the Geothermal
Permitting Task Force established under subsection (c).
(b) Geothermal Ombudsman.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 60 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall appoint from within
the Bureau of Land Management a Geothermal Ombudsman.
(2) Duties.--The Geothermal Ombudsman appointed under
paragraph (1) shall--
(A) act as a liaison between--
(i) the individual field, district, and State
offices of the Bureau of Land Management;
(ii) the Division Chief of the National
Renewable Energy Coordination Office of the
Bureau of Land Management; and
(iii) the Director of the Bureau of Land
Management;
(B) provide dispute resolution services between the
individual field, district, and State offices of the
Bureau of Land Management and applicants for geothermal
authorizations;
(C) monitor and facilitate permit processing
practices and timelines across individual field offices
of the Bureau of Land Management;
(D) develop best practices for the permitting and
leasing process for geothermal resources; and
(E) coordinate with the Federal Permitting
Improvement Steering Council.
(c) Geothermal Permitting Task Force.--
(1) Establishment.--Not later than 60 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall establish within the
Bureau of Land Management a Geothermal Permitting Task Force.
(2) Leadership.--The Task Force shall be headed by the
Geothermal Ombudsman appointed under subsection (b).
(3) Permitting support.--The Task Force shall support the
duties of the Geothermal Ombudsman appointed under subsection
(b).
(4) Cross-office personnel assignments.--
(A) In general.--In their capacity as head of the
Task Force, the Geothermal Ombudsman may coordinate
with any Departmental bureau or office to assign
personnel with relevant expertise to assist with
completion of geothermal authorizations in field,
district, or State offices other than the official duty
station where such personnel are located if--
(i) the Departmental bureau or office
determines that such assignment will not
materially delay ongoing completion of
authorizations within the office where the
employee is located; and
(ii) approval is received from the head of
the official duty station where the assigned
employee is located.
(B) Assigned personnel requirements.--Department
personnel assigned to assist with completion of
geothermal authorizations under subparagraph (A)
shall--
(i) work in-person full-time at an official
Department office;
(ii) if necessary as determined by the
Geothermal Ombudsman, travel to the Bureau of
Land Management field, district, or State
office with jurisdiction over the geothermal
authorization to which the employee has been
assigned by the Geothermal Ombudsman;
(iii) participate as part of the team of
personnel working on geothermal authorizations
to which the employee has been assigned by the
Geothermal Ombudsman; and
(iv) regularly report to the head of the
field, district, or State office of the Bureau
of Land Management with jurisdiction over
geothermal authorizations to which the employee
has been assigned by the Geothermal Ombudsman.
(C) Retention allowances.--
(i) In general.--Subject to the availability
of appropriations, the Geothermal Ombudsman may
pay a retention allowance to an employee
assigned to assist with the completion of
geothermal authorizations under subparagraph
(A). Retention allowances--
(I) shall be stated as the percentage
of the rate of basic pay of an
employee, and may not exceed 25 percent
of such rate of basic pay;
(II) may not be considered to be part
of the basic pay of an employee, and
the reduction or elimination of a
retention allowance may not be
appealed; and
(III) shall be paid at the same time
and in the same manner as the
employee's basic pay is paid.
(ii) Considerations.--In exercising the
retention allowance authority described in
clause (i), the Geothermal Ombudsman shall
consider--
(I) an employee's specialized
expertise related to geothermal
authorizations;
(II) the demonstrated need to retain
an employee to meet the performance
improvement objectives for geothermal
authorization timelines and develop
best practices for completion of
geothermal authorizations; and
(III) the difficulty in recruiting or
replacing qualified personnel with
relevant expertise related to
geothermal authorizations.
(D) Savings clause.--Cross-office personnel
assignments carried out under this paragraph shall not
alter the underlying jurisdiction of other offices of
the Bureau of Land Management over applicable
geothermal authorizations.
(d) Report.--The Geothermal Ombudsman shall submit to the Committee
on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate and the Committee on
Natural Resources of the House of Representatives an annual report that
describes the activities of the Task Force and evaluates the
effectiveness of geothermal permit processing during the preceding 1-
year period.
PURPOSE OF THE LEGISLATION
The purpose of H.R. 5631 is to appoint a Geothermal
Ombudsman and establish a Geothermal Permitting Task Force from
within the Bureau of Land Management, and for other purposes.
BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION
Reviews for geothermal drilling permits (GDPs), utilization
plans, commercial use permits, and other geothermal
authorizations are managed primarily by the Bureau of Land
Management (BLM) field offices with jurisdiction over the
federal land in which a given project is located. With
geothermal permitting, the mechanisms that allow for
collaboration between field and state offices within BLM, or
between BLM and other bureaus across the U.S. Department of the
Interior (DOI), are limited. Instead, local field office
personnel must fully process geothermal authorizations within
their respective jurisdictions.\1\ According to industry
stakeholders, field office-specific processing requirements
have produced significant variations in geothermal permitting
outcomes.\2\
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\1\Dr. Bryant Jones, Written Testimony before the Subcommittee on
Energy and Mineral Resources, December 12, 2023, https://
docs.house.gov/meetings/II/II06/20231212/116633/HHRG-118-II06-Wstate-
JonesB-20231212.pdf.
\2\Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources, Majority Staff
Correspondence with Geothermal Industry Stakeholders, July 21, 2025.
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H.R. 5631, the ``Geothermal Ombudsman for National
Deployment and Optimal Reviews Act,'' sponsored by
Representative Jeff Hurd (R-CO), would improve coordination by
appointing a Geothermal Ombudsman (Ombudsman) from within BLM.
The bill tasks the Ombudsman with liaising between field
offices and the BLM Director, providing dispute resolution
services between field offices and applicants, monitoring
permit processing, developing best practices, and coordinating
with the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council
(FPISC).
H.R. 5631 also authorizes the Ombudsman to coordinate the
assignment of expert personnel from any DOI bureaus or offices
to assist with approvals in state and local BLM offices as part
of a newly developed Geothermal Permitting Task Force (Task
Force). Notably, the bill provides relevant agencies within DOI
with the ability to approve any Task Force assignments. Lastly,
this legislation allows the Ombudsman to pay retention
allowances to personnel assigned to the Task Force, subject to
the availability of appropriations.
COMMITTEE ACTION
H.R. 5631 was introduced on September 30, 2025, by
Representative Jeff Hurd (R-CO). 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. 5631 by unanimous consent. Representative Jeff Hurd (R-
CO) offered an Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute
designated Hurd_01 ANS. The Amendment in the Nature of a
Substitute was agreed to by unanimous consent. The bill, as
amended, 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 ``Geothermal Ombudsman for
National Deployment and Optimal Reviews Act.''
Section 2. Geothermal Ombudsman and permitting task force
Section 2 appoints an Ombudsman from within BLM,
responsible for liaising between field offices and the BLM
Director, providing dispute resolution services between field
offices and applicants, monitoring permit processing,
developing best practices, and coordinating with FPISC.
This section also establishes a Task Force from within BLM,
headed by the Ombudsman, and authorizes the Ombudsman to
coordinate the assignment of personnel from any DOI bureaus and
offices to the Task Force to assist with the completion of
geothermal authorizations in BLM field, district, or state
offices. Section 2 further stipulates that personnel may be
assigned to the Task Force only if the DOI bureau or office
where staff are located determines that such assignment will
not materially delay completion of authorizations within the
office where the employee is located.
Section 2 authorizes the Ombudsman to pay retention
allowances of up to 25 percent to employees assigned to the
Task Force. This section requires the Ombudsman to submit an
annual report to Congress that describes the activities of the
Task Force and evaluates the effectiveness of geothermal permit
processing during the preceding one-year period.
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 appoint a Geothermal Ombudsman and
establish a Geothermal Permitting Task Force from within the
Bureau of Land Management, and for other purposes.
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
As ordered reported by the Committee on Natural Resources,
H.R. 5631 would make no changes in existing law.
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