HR 5587Energy
Harnessing Energy At Thermal Sources Act or the HEATS Act This bill exempts certain geothermal activities on state and private lands (except Indian lands) from drilling permit requirements as well as environmental and historic preservation review requirements. First, the bill prohibits the Department of the Interior from requiring an operator to obtain a drilling permit under the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970 for any geothermal exploration and production activity conducted on a nonfederal surface estate (i.e., the part of the estate that is above ground) if (1) the United States holds an ownership interest of less than 50% of the subsurface geothermal estate to be accessed by the proposed action, and (2) the operator submits to Interior a state permit to conduct the geothermal exploration and production activity on the nonfederal surface estate. Next, the bill states that such geothermal exploration and production activity is not considered a major federal action under National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). Thus, such activity does not trigger NEPA's environmental review requirements. In addition, the bill exempts such activity from the consultation requirements under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. It also exempts the activity from review under the National Historic Preservation Act unless the state in which the activity occurs does not have a state law that addresses the preservation of historic properties.
Introduced Sep 26, 2025Updated Jul 15, 2026
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining. Hearings held.
HR 4090Energy
Critical Mineral Dominance Act This bill directs the Department of the Interior to address mineral supply chain vulnerabilities, including by accelerating and expanding mineral production on federal land (i.e., National Forest System land, public lands, and any land that may be leased for the exploration, development, or production of hardrock minerals). Interior must (1) identify priority mining projects on federal lands that can be immediately approved, and (2) take all necessary and appropriate steps to expedite those projects. Interior must also identify active, inactive, or proposed mining projects on federal land that have the potential to (1) increase production of hardrock minerals or their byproducts, (2) expand existing operations to include such byproducts, or (3) produce hardrock minerals from mine tailings or coal byproducts. Further, Interior must identify certain federal land with potential for hardrock mining. Interior must prioritize identifying land where a mining project (1) can most quickly be fully permitted and operational, and (2) would have the greatest potential effect on the robustness of the domestic mineral supply chain. Interior must (1) suspend, revise, or rescind agency actions that place undue burdens on mining projects; (2) recommend changes to current law necessary to expand U.S. production of hardrock minerals; and (3) review state and local laws that impede development of domestic mining and mineral exploration projects. Interior must also report on the dollar value and overall economic impact of the United States' reliance on imports of certain mineral commodities. Finally, Interior must prioritize efforts to accelerate geologic mapping.
Introduced Jun 23, 2025Updated Jul 15, 2026
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining. Hearings held.
HR 398Energy
Geothermal Cost-Recovery Authority Act of 2025 This bill expands the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970 to give the Department of the Interior the authority to collect certain fees from applicants for, or holders of, geothermal leases through September 30, 2032. Specifically, Interior may direct those applicants or leaseholders to reimburse the United States for costs from (1) processing applications for geothermal leases on federal land, such as applications for geothermal drilling permits; and (2) inspecting and monitoring geothermal exploration and development activities, including reclamation activities. Interior may reduce the amount of the fee if it determines that (1) the full reimbursement would impose an economic hardship on the applicant, or (2) a less than full reimbursement is necessary to promote the greatest use of geothermal resources. Interior may use those fees only to the extent that they are provided in advance in appropriations acts for (1) processing applications for geothermal leases, and (2) inspecting and monitoring related exploration and development activities. Within five years of the bill's enactment, Interior must submit to Congress a report that includes an assessment of how the fees affect Interior's geothermal leasing program and any recommendations for updates to the fees and the program.
Introduced Jan 14, 2025Updated May 20, 2026
Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 569.
HR 301Energy
Geothermal Energy Opportunity Act or the GEO Act This bill expands the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970 to establish a deadline for the Department of the Interior to process applications related to geothermal leases. Specifically, Interior must process each application for a geothermal drilling permit or other authorization under a valid existing geothermal lease within 60 days after completing all requirements under applicable federal laws and regulations (including the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, the Endangered Species Act of 1973, and the National Historic Preservation Act) unless a U.S. federal court vacates or provides injunctive relief for the underlying lease.
Introduced Jan 9, 2025Updated May 20, 2026
Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 568.
HR 1366Environmental Protection
Mining Regulatory Clarity Act This bill allows mining operators to use federal lands for activities ancillary to mining, such as waste disposal, regardless of whether those lands contain mineral deposits valuable enough to be mined (mineral validity). It also establishes the Abandoned Hardrock Mine Fund. The bill addresses a 2022 decision in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit related to the Rosemont Copper Mine in Arizona (commonly known as the Rosemont decision , described further in CRS Report R48166 ). The court held that mining claims are only allowed where mineral validity has been established and that mill site claims are more appropriate means for establishing a mining waste disposal site under the Mining Act. The bill allows a mining operator to (1) locate and include within its plan of operations as many mill site claims (e.g., areas for waste rock disposal) as are reasonably necessary for its operations, and (2) use or occupy public land in accordance with an approved plan of operations. Additionally, the bill requires any revenue generated from fees for such mill site claims to be deposited into the Abandoned Hardrock Mine Fund. The Department of the Interior must use the fund for certain abandoned hardrock mine reclamation activities.
Introduced Feb 14, 2025Updated Mar 17, 2026
Read twice. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 357.
HR 280Energy
Combating Obstruction Against Leasing Act of 2025 or the COAL Act of 2025 This bill requires the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to process certain applications to lease coal mineral estates owned by the federal government in order to develop coal. If the environmental review process under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 has commenced for an application, then the BLM must publish a draft environmental assessment and any applicable implementing regulations, finalize the fair market value of the coal tract for which a lease by application is pending, take all intermediate actions necessary to grant the application, and grant the application. With respect to previously awarded coal leases, the BLM must grant any additional approvals required for mining activities to commence. Finally, the bill nullifies the Department of the Interior's Secretarial Order 3338, which placed a hold on most new federal coal leases until the BLM completes a comprehensive review of the federal coal program.
Introduced Jan 9, 2025Updated Sep 3, 2025
Subcommittee Hearings Held
HR 931Energy
This bill authorizes coal to be mined on approximately 800 acres of federal land in Musselshell County, Montana. Specifically, it allows all federal coal reserves in such federal land and leased under Federal Coal Lease MTM 97988 to be mined in accordance with the 2020 Bull Mountains Mining Plan Modification. The Bull Mountains Mine is operated by Signal Peak Energy. This bill directs the Department of the Interior, without modification or delay, to approve the Bull Mountains Mining Plan Modification to the extent necessary to mine such land.
Introduced Feb 4, 2025Updated May 20, 2025
Subcommittee Hearings Held
HR 513Energy
Offshore Lands Authorities Act of 2025 This bill limits the withdrawal of unleased lands of the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) from areas that may be leased for mineral development and nullifies certain past withdrawals. The OCS includes the federally managed ocean area extending from the outer boundaries of state-controlled waters (generally 3 nautical miles [nmi] from shore) to 200 nmi from shore, with some exceptions. Specifically, the bill limits the President's authority to restrict offshore development of minerals, such as oil and gas, on the OCS. For example, the bill (1) caps the number of acres of OCS lands that a President may withdraw from areas that may be leased; (2) prohibits withdrawals from being made for a period longer than 20 years; (3) prohibits the President from making withdrawals of unleased land that conflict with areas included in lease sales scheduled under approved oil and gas leasing programs; and (4) prohibits the President from withdrawing unleased lands unless the Department of the Interior has completed assessments addressing issues such as mineral resources and the national security, economic, and energy value of the identified mineral deposits. The President must also obtain congressional approval before withdrawing more than 500,000 acres cumulatively. Further, the bill gives Congress the authority to review and disapprove withdrawals by enacting a joint resolution. In addition, the bill nullifies certain presidential memoranda and executive orders related to withdrawing unleased land from areas that may be leased for the development of oil, gas, or other minerals on the OCS.
Introduced Jan 16, 2025Updated May 20, 2025
Subcommittee Hearings Held