The House Committee on Natural Resources has advanced sixteen bills aimed at expanding geothermal energy development, protecting Giant Sequoias, enhancing public land recreation, and supporting tribal sovereignty.
Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) commented on the committee's work: “House Committee on Natural Resources Republicans are hard at work on behalf of the American people. Today, we advanced legislation that will unleash geothermal resources to lower energy costs, save treasured Giant Sequoias, improve outdoor recreation in the Southeast, launch patriotic celebrations of the 250th anniversary of America’s independence and support tribal sovereignty. I look forward to continuing to work with the bills’ sponsors to advance this legislation.”
Among the measures is H.R. 41, which would allow several Southeast Alaska communities to form urban corporations under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act and select land within Tongass National Forest. Another bill, H.R. 301, requires the Department of the Interior to process geothermal authorizations within 60 days after environmental review completion.
H.R. 2252 permits North Dakota to exchange state trust lands within tribal reservations for federal lands elsewhere in the state. The Save Our Sequoias Act (H.R. 2709) provides emergency tools for land managers to address threats facing Giant Sequoias.
Other bills include a feasibility study for designating the Benton MacKaye Trail as a National Scenic Trail (H.R. 2768), an extension of Florida’s shark feeding ban into federal waters (H.R. 3831), and authorization for seasonal placement of an American flag at a Utah summit in time for the nation's 250th anniversary (H.R. 4684).
Several pieces of legislation focus on streamlining geothermal energy development. These include exemptions from certain environmental reviews for low-impact projects (H.R. 5576), clarifying permitting requirements on non-federal lands (H.R. 5587), appointing a Geothermal Ombudsman within the Bureau of Land Management (H.R. 5631), and reforming royalty payments for geothermal facilities sharing leases (H.R. 5638).
Additional bills address land transfers to tribes, fee authority for processing geothermal applications, extending categorical exclusions from oil and gas activities to geothermal projects, studying wildfire mitigation in shrublands, and requiring best practices guidance for agency staff handling geothermal leasing.
The committee's actions reflect ongoing efforts by lawmakers to promote renewable energy development while addressing conservation and local interests.
