Stakeholders advancing vertical closed-loop geothermal best practices and draft legislation for contractor registration

EGLE staff reported a multi-stakeholder effort to update the agency's 2010 vertical closed-loop geothermal best-practices guidance and to revisit draft legislation that would establish registration or qualifications for geothermal drilling.

Staff said they reached out to grout manufacturers, drilling contractors, plumbing and mechanical contractor groups, local health departments and energy staff and received comments. The updates under consideration include revised definitions, installation qualifications, grout placement standards, and references to current building codes (2021 or 2024). The update would also refresh standards for heat transfer fluids and grout materials, and replace older agency acronyms with current EGLE citations.

On legislation, staff said a draft bill first circulated in 2018 had broad stakeholder buy-in at the time; the small working group is now evaluating whether updated best-practices language and contractor-qualification elements should be reintroduced as legislation. Participants discussed state examples (California, Wisconsin, Iowa, Oklahoma and Nebraska were mentioned) where registration or licensure varies by state.

Speakers noted the Inflation Reduction Act and growing geothermal demand could increase drilling needs and workforce pressures, and that clearer qualifications could protect both public health and contractor viability as geothermal projects scale up. Staff said they will solicit more input from the well-drilling industry and local health departments, then return to the broader stakeholder group for final comment before considering any legislative push.

No final regulatory text or bill was adopted at the meeting; staff said they will ask the MGWA board for guidance and possible support before approaching legislators.