Committing Leases for Energy Access Now Act
Floor Speech
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Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1687) to amend the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970 to increase the frequency of lease sales, to require replacement sales, and for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows: H.R. 1687
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Committing Leases for Energy Access Now Act'' or the ``CLEAN Act''. SEC. 2. GEOTHERMAL LEASING.
(a) Annual Leasing.--Section 4(b) of the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970 (30 U.S.C. 1003(b)) is amended--
(1) in paragraph (2), by striking ``2 years'' and inserting ``year'';
(2) by redesignating paragraphs (3) and (4) as paragraphs (5) and (6), respectively; and
(3) after paragraph (2), by inserting the following:
``(3) Replacement sales.--If a lease sale under paragraph (1) for a year is canceled or delayed, the Secretary of the Interior shall conduct a replacement sale during the same year.
``(4) Requirement.--Of the nominated parcels eligible for geothermal development and utilization under the resource management plan in effect for the State, the Secretary shall, in conducting a lease sale under paragraph (2), offer for lease--
``(A) 75 percent of such nominated parcels; and
``(B) the remaining 25 percent of such nominated parcels, unless the Secretary provides a written justification that identifies a statutory, environmental, or administrative basis that prevents the Secretary from offering such nominated parcels for lease.''.
(b) Deadlines for Consideration of Geothermal Drilling Permits.--Section 4 of the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970 (30 U.S.C. 1003) is amended by adding at the end the following:
``(h) Deadlines for Consideration of Geothermal Drilling Permits.--
``(1) Notice.--Not later than 30 days after the date on which the Secretary receives an application for any geothermal drilling permit, the Secretary shall--
``(A) provide written notice to the applicant that the application is complete; or
``(B) notify the applicant that information is missing and specify any information that is required to be submitted for the application to be complete.
``(2) Issuance or deferral.--
``(A) In general.--Not later than 30 days after the Secretary has provided written notice to an applicant for a geothermal drilling permit that the application for such permit is complete pursuant to paragraph (1)(A), the Secretary shall--
``(i) issue the permit, if the requirements under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and other applicable law have been completed within such timeframe; or
``(ii) defer the decision on the permit and provide to the applicant a notice--
``(I) that specifies any steps that the applicant could take for the permit to be issued; and
``(II) that includes a list of actions that need to be taken by the agency to comply with applicable law, together with timelines and deadlines for taking such actions, which shall not exceed the deadlines specified in section 107(g) of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4336a(g)).
``(B) Deadline for deferred decisions.--If the Secretary defers a decision on a permit under subparagraph (A)(ii), the Secretary shall issue a decision on the permit not later than 10 days after the applicant takes any steps specified pursuant to subparagraph (A)(ii)(I) and the agency takes the actions listed pursuant to subparagraph (A)(ii)(II) in accordance with any applicable timelines and deadlines.''.
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Mr. WESTERMAN. 1687, the bill now under consideration.
I rise today in support of H.R. 1687, the Committing Leases for Energy Access Now Act, or the CLEAN Act.
Introduced by Representative Fulcher, this bill is essential to bolstering geothermal energy production. Across the United States, the Bureau of Land Management is responsible for geothermal permitting on roughly 245 million acres of public land. The previous administration, however, was unwilling to hold lease sales at the rate necessary to support the industry and lower energy costs for Americans.
Thankfully, President Trump and Secretary Burgum understand the need for abundant, low-cost, reliable energy sources and have made expanding domestic energy production a priority. Under their leadership, BLM has begun promoting annual geothermal lease sales.
Representative Fulcher's CLEAN Act codifies these annual lease sales into law and furthers prudent efforts to secure American energy dominance for generations to come.
In October 2025, the BLM held a geothermal lease sale in Nevada that brought in a record-setting $9.4 million in bids. Similarly, the BLM's geothermal lease sale in California last August netted over $2.7 million across just 13 parcels of land. These revenues help fund other important functions of the Bureau, including mapping, permitting, scientific research, and conservation.
In addition to requiring annual lease sales, the bill sets clear expectations and deadlines for geothermal permitting. By implementing transparent, predictable, and timely reviews, the CLEAN Act incentivizes further investment and helps meet the Nation's rapidly rising energy demands.
During committee markup, the bipartisan CLEAN Act was unanimously approved with an amendment reflecting meaningful collaboration among Democrats, Republicans, the Department of the Interior, and industry.
The bill's commonsense approach to incentivizing domestic geothermal energy investment and helping everyday Americans lower their monthly electric bills is a crucial step that Congress should not hesitate to take.
I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 1687, and I reserve the balance of my time.
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Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, most of America's geothermal resources lie beneath Federal lands, and interest in leasing those areas continues to grow. It is imperative that we increase the frequency of geothermal lease sales from every 2 years to annually and further streamline the permitting process. Doing so will help keep energy costs low and keep America's lights on.
Mr. Speaker, I applaud Representative Fulcher for his work on this important legislation which I urge my colleagues to support, and I yield back the balance of my time.
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