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Representative urges no vote on bill that would waive federal review for many geothermal projects
Summary
A lawmaker on the House floor backed geothermal energy but warned a bill that removes federal drilling permits when up to 50% of subsurface ownership is federal would strip protections under NEPA, NHPA and the Endangered Species Act, raise seismic and subsidence risks, and erode tribal and public consultation.
A representative on the House floor urged colleagues to reject legislation that would exempt many geothermal projects from federal environmental review, saying the bill would remove key safeguards for federal resources and sideline tribal and public input.
The lawmaker, speaking without a name provided in the transcript, said the measure would allow a geothermal project to proceed without a federal drilling permit when the surface is not federally owned but up to 50% of the subsurface acreage is federal. "Under this bill, a geothermal project would no longer require a federal drilling permit if it is on land where the surface is not federally owned, but the subsurface is significantly up to 50%, of the acreage," the representative said, arguing that 50% of a…
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