Geothermal Energy Advancement Act
Key claim: The Geothermal Energy Advancement Act would establish a BLM geothermal ombudsman and Geothermal Permitting Task Force to coordinate, dispute-resolve, and staff federal-land geothermal project authorizations, including authority to reassign Interior employees with retention allowances.
Abstract
(HR5631 · 119th Congress) Geothermal Ombudsman for National Deployment and Optimal Reviews Act This bill establishes a geothermal ombudsman and task force to oversee geothermal project permitting and authorizations on federal land. The Department of the Interior must appoint a geothermal ombudsman from within the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The ombudsman must act as a liaison among different parts of BLM, provide dispute resolution services between BLM and geothermal project applicants, and facilitate permit processing in different BLM field offices regarding geothermal projects on federal land. The ombudsman must also lead the Geothermal Permitting Task Force established by this bill. The task force must support the ombudsman’s duties. Through the task force, the ombudsman may reassign employees from other Interior bureaus or offices to assist in the completion of geothermal authorizations. The ombudsman may pay a retention allowance to reassigned employees. Latest action (2026-06-03): Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
Why this matters
Federal-land geothermal projects routinely face multi-year, multi-bureau permitting timelines that dominate development risk and cost. Creating a dedicated ombudsman and an inter-bureau task force with authority to reassign Interior staff (backed by retention pay) is a process-reform lever aimed at throughput without changing environmental standards, and it sits alongside statutory-exemption approaches like the HEATS Act as a distinct policy pathway.