U.S. House approves Idaho Rep. Fulcher’s bill to increase geothermal leasing 

The U.S. House on Tuesday approved a bill brought by Idaho Republican Rep. Russ Fulcher to increase geothermal energy leasing on public lands. 

Fulcher sponsored H.R. 1687, the “Committing Leases for Energy Access Now” or “CLEAN” Act with cosponsors, Reps. Utah Republican Celeste Maloy, Colorado Republican Lauren Boebert, Alaska Republican Nicholas Begich, and Nevada Democrat Susie Lee. 

The House approved the bill in a voice vote, and it will go to the U.S. Senate for consideration. 

“Geothermal is a clean, abundant, and dependable energy resource that can help meet America’s rapidly rising power demands,” Fulcher said in a press release. “However, the lack of consistent geothermal lease sales and the slow federal permitting process result in timelines longer than many other energy projects. The bipartisan CLEAN Act will address these barriers and unlock opportunities to explore and develop this renewable energy source.

The bill amends the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970 to require the secretary of the interior to hold a lease sale for geothermal projects every year, instead of every two years. It would also add requirements that the secretary hold a replacement lease sale if any are canceled or missed in a calendar year. 

Geothermal uses the heat from inside the earth to provide heat to buildings or generate electricity. The energy resource is particularly abundant in the West, according to the Bureau of Land Management, which oversees geothermal leasing on federal lands and on the 700 million acres where the U.S. owns subsurface mineral estate. 

Boise is home to the nation’s first geothermal district heating system, established in 1892. Idaho’s Capitol is the only geothermally heated capitol building in the U.S., according to the press release from Fulcher. 

The Raft River Geothermal Power Plant in Cassia County produces 10 megawatts of electricity, according to the director of the University of Idaho’s Energy Institute, John Kumm. 

In April, the BLM sought public input on a proposed geothermal project totaling 114,000 acres in Washington, Owyhee, Twin Falls, Cassia, Clark and Lemhi counties.