Geothermal Gold Book Development Act

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5617 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 5617

   To direct the Department of the Interior to identify and publish 
 standard procedures and guidelines for geothermal leasing and permit 
   issuance for environmentally responsible geothermal operations on 
                             Federal lands.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 30, 2025

Ms. Ansari (for herself and Mr. Huffman) introduced the following bill; 
        which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To direct the Department of the Interior to identify and publish 
 standard procedures and guidelines for geothermal leasing and permit 
   issuance for environmentally responsible geothermal operations on 
                             Federal lands.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Geothermal Gold Book Development 
Act''.

SEC. 2. PUBLICATION OF ``GOLD BOOK'' FOR GEOTHERMAL OPERATIONS ON 
              FEDERAL LANDS.

    (a) Identification.--Not later than one year after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Department of the Interior, in consultation 
with other relevant Federal agencies, shall identify standard 
procedures and guidelines for efficient and environmentally responsible 
geothermal leasing and permitting.
    (b) Publication.--Not later than 180 days after identifying 
standard procedures and guidelines under subsection (a), the Department 
of the Interior shall publish a ``Gold Book'' containing such standard 
procedures and guidelines for use by the field offices of the Bureau of 
Land Management and geothermal operators.
    (c) Consultation.--Before publishing the Gold Book, the Department 
of the Interior shall consult with--
            (1) other relevant Federal agencies, including field 
        offices of the Bureau of Land Management; and
            (2) outside stakeholders, including developers and other 
        experts.
    (d) Inclusions.--The Gold Book shall include standard procedures 
and guidelines for--
            (1) land use planning and geothermal lease sales; and
            (2) ensuring the efficient review and approval of 
        environmentally responsible geothermal development, including--
                    (A) exploration and geophysical operations;
                    (B) permitting lease operations;
                    (C) compliance with all applicable laws and 
                regulations;
                    (D) construction and maintenance;
                    (E) drilling and production operations;
                    (F) appeals; and
                    (G) relevant categorical exclusions available at 
                each stage.
    (e) Periodic Revision.--The Department of the Interior shall--
            (1) at least once every five years, review the Gold Book; 
        and
            (2) as necessary, revise the Gold Book.
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