# 119-hr-5631: Geothermal Energy Advancement Act

119-hr-5631, Geothermal Energy Advancement Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Hurd, Jeff [R-CO-3] (R-CO); status passed_house; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-02).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5631
- As of: 2026-10-02
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-5631
- Congress: 119
- Title: Geothermal Energy Advancement Act
- Status: passed_house
- Introduced: 2025-09-30
- Sponsor: Rep. Hurd, Jeff [R-CO-3] (R-CO)
- Cosponsors: 5
- Policy area: Energy
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-10-02

## Summary

**Speeds up geothermal leasing and permitting while letting the Interior Department charge applicants for processing and inspections.** The bill would set firm review deadlines, create new BLM permitting roles, and tighten how royalties and NEPA reviews apply to geothermal power projects. - Developers and leaseholders: The Interior would have to approve or deny geothermal lease‑related applications within 60 days after all federal requirements are complete. Applicants could also be required to reimburse the government for reasonable processing and inspection costs through Sept. 30, 2033, with hardship reductions and cost‑share options allowed. - BLM operations and staff: The Bureau of Land Management would get a Geothermal Ombudsman and a Geothermal Permitting Task Force within 60 days to speed and coordinate reviews. The bill allows cross‑office full‑time assignments and retention pay of up to 25% of basic pay for assigned staff to bolster permitting capacity. - Projects, royalties, and environmental review: Royalties would be tied to each geothermal electric facility’s in‑service date and count the first 10 years after that date for royalty rules. The bill also brings geothermal exploration and development explicitly into the Energy Policy Act Section 390 NEPA review framework.

## Cosponsors (5)

- Rep. Lee, Susie [D-NV-3] (D-NV), 2026-05-19T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Maloy, Celeste [R-UT-2] (R-UT), 2026-05-19T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Kennedy, Mike [R-UT-3] (R-UT), 2026-05-19T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Ansari, Yassamin [D-AZ-3] (D-AZ), 2026-05-20T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Ocasio-Cortez, Alexandria [D-NY-14] (D-NY), 2026-05-20T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Faster permits and support for geothermal projects: benefit, medium. If you apply for a geothermal permit, the agency would have 60 days to approve or deny it after all federal reviews are done, unless a court blocks the lease or permit. The bill would set up a Geothermal Ombudsman and a Permitting Task Force within 60 days to resolve disputes and keep permits movin…
- Royalty clock starts at each facility: benefit, low. The initial 10-year royalty period would run from each facility’s in-service date. Separate facilities would be counted separately unless they share a turbine. This would shift royalty timing to match when each facility starts operating.
- New processing and inspection fees for developers: cost, low. Interior would be able to require applicants and leaseholders to reimburse processing and inspection costs through September 30, 2033. The Secretary would be able to reduce fees for economic hardship or to promote geothermal development. Money collected would go to Interior and would be usable only…
- New environmental review rules for geothermal: cost, low. The bill would add geothermal exploration and development to certain environmental review triggers in existing law. This would place geothermal projects under those review steps, which can add time and paperwork. If enacted, the change would apply immediately.

## Related bills

- 119-hr-1993: 25th Anniversary of 9/11 Commemorative Coin Act
- 119-hr-1422: Enhanced Iran Sanctions Act of 2025
- 119-hr-9250: Great American Outdoors Act 250
- 119-hr-471: Fix Our Forests Act
- 119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025
- 119-hr-4206: CONNECT for Health Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-hr-5631 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/5631)

## Related
- [119-hr-1993: 25th Anniversary of 9/11 Commemorative Coin Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1993)
- [119-hr-1422: Enhanced Iran Sanctions Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1422)
- [119-hr-9250: Great American Outdoors Act 250](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9250)
- [119-hr-471: Fix Our Forests Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-471)
- [119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4669)
- [119-hr-4206: CONNECT for Health Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4206)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5631 (as of 2026-10-02).