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Natural Resources panel advances bill that would exempt some geothermal exploration from NEPA
Summary
The House Natural Resources Committee on May 1 advanced H.R. 5576, sponsored by Rep. Fulcher, which removes one round of NEPA review for certain small-footprint geothermal exploration wells; critics said the measure creates an untethered NEPA waiver and removes essential safeguards.
The House Committee on Natural Resources on May 1 voted to report H.R. 5576, the Enhancing Geothermal Production on Federal Lands Act, to the House after adopting an amendment in the nature of a substitute offered by the bill’s sponsor.
The measure, introduced by Representative Fulcher and debated at a committee markup, would exempt certain geothermal exploration activities from National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review when they meet specific thresholds the bill sets for disturbance and well size. "Removing even a single review in this process, we will increase the efficiency of the exploration process and decrease the cost of each project," the chair said in opening remarks.
Supporters argued the bill addresses duplicative federal…
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