Support for H.R. 5631, the Geothermal Energy Advancement Act

Dear Chairman Lee and Ranking Member Heinrich:

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce applauds your leadership on energy issues and strongly supports the bipartisan geothermal legislative package H.R. 5631, the Geothermal Energy Advancement Act. We urge the committee to favorably report and advance this highly impactful legislation. 

Modernizing and expanding America’s energy infrastructure will require a federal permitting system that is transparent, predictable, and efficient. Today, projects too often face unnecessary delays and uncertainty driven by duplicative reviews, unclear timelines, and process bottlenecks. As demand for electricity and energy continues to grow—driven by factors including the deployment of artificial intelligence, widespread electrification, and the growth in manufacturing—Congress should advance practical reforms that enable timely investment while maintaining responsible environmental stewardship.

The Geothermal Energy Advancement Act combines concepts that would help address obstacles to geothermal development by promoting clearer timelines and accountability for lease application processing, expediting National Environmental Policy Act reviews for certain geothermal activities, allowing appropriate recovery of permitting-related costs, directing the Department of the Interior to develop standard guidelines to support environmentally responsible geothermal projects, and establishing a geothermal ombudsman and permitting task force to help coordinate and troubleshoot permitting challenges.

The Chamber urges members of the committee to vote “yes” on H.R. 5631 to strengthen America’s ability to build the energy infrastructure needed for long-term economic growth and competitiveness. In addition, we look forward to working with Congress to further refine the royalty reform provisions within H.R. 5631 to ensure we fully maximize the benefits of the bill.

Sincerely,                                                              

Neil Bradley
Executive Vice President, Chief Policy Officer, and Head of Strategic Advocacy
U.S. Chamber of Commerce

Cc:  All Members of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources