This bill, called the STEAM Act, changes a part of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (Section 390) so geothermal resources are explicitly included in the expedited National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review rules in that section. The text adds the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970 as a covered statute for geothermal exploration or development and updates language that previously listed oil or gas to also list geothermal. The bill was introduced in the Senate on February 6, 2025, and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
If this bill becomes law, geothermal exploration and development projects could be eligible for the faster NEPA review process described in Section 390 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005. That means projects covered by these provisions may follow the same expedited review steps that already apply to other listed resources.
No publicly available information.
Proponents introduced the bill to add geothermal to the Section 390 NEPA provision so geothermal exploration and development can be expedited in the situations that section covers.
No publicly available information.