Bill · S. 4605· Senate(119-S-4605)
Geothermal Cost-Recovery Authority Act of 2026
- Introduced
- 5/20/2026
- Last activity
- 7/15/2026 — Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining. Hearings held.
- Sponsored by
- Ruben Gallego
- Cosponsors
- None
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
This bill, known as the ``Geothermal Cost-Recovery Authority Act of 2026'', seeks to amend the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970. It provides the Secretary of the Interior with the authority to require applicants or holders of geothermal leases to reimburse the United States for administrative and other costs. These costs include processing applications and conducting inspections or monitoring of various geothermal activities. This cost-recovery authority is set to end on September 30, 2032. Additionally, the bill requires the Secretary to submit a report to Congress regarding the impact of these changes.
Yes· 3 of 4
Does this reduce what the federal government spends?+5
The bill allows the Department of the Interior to recover administrative and monitoring costs through collections.
Does this make the government pay for what it commits to?+5
The bill implements a cost-recovery mechanism for the federal government's geothermal program activities.
Does this make what the government does easier for the public to see?+5
The bill requires the Secretary to submit and make public a report assessing the impact of these changes.
The opposite
Would business owners be better off under this?-4
The bill mandates that applicants reimburse the government for costs related to applications, inspections, and monitoring.
Does this make it easier to run a small business?-3
The bill imposes new administrative and monitoring costs on geothermal lease applicants and holders.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
-
Economic Hardship Protections: The Secretary has the authority to reduce reimbursement amounts if full payment would cause economic hardship to an applicant (Section 2, paragraph 3, subparagraph A).
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Promotion of Resource Use: The Secretary may reduce reimbursement amounts if it is necessary to promote the greatest use of geothermal resources (Section 2, paragraph 3, subparagraph B).
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Transparency and Oversight: The Secretary is required to submit a report to Congressional committees and make it available on a public website to assess how these changes affected the Bureau of Land Management's geothermal program (Section 3, subsection a).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
-
Increased Costs for Applicants: Applicants for geothermal leases or holders of such leases may be required to reimburse the United States for all reasonable administrative and other costs related to processing applications and monitoring activities (Section 2, paragraph 1).
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Costs Related to Application Processing: Applicants may face costs associated with processing applications for geothermal leases, including operations plans, drilling permits, utilization plans, site licenses, and facility construction permits (Section 2, paragraph 1, subparagraph A).
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Costs Related to Inspection and Monitoring: Applicants may face costs for the inspection and monitoring of geophysical exploration, drilling, plugging, abandonment of wells, and the construction, operation, termination, and reclamation of well sites or facilities (Section 2, paragraph 1, subparagraph B).
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Economy And Finance
- Improves Fiscal Responsibility+5Reduces Government Spending+5Improves Small Business Support-3
- Governance And Ideology
- Improves Government Transparency+5
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Good For Business Owners-4
- Environment Energy And Infrastructure
- Increases Renewable Energy Investment+2
- 7/15/2026
- Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining. Hearings held.
- 5/20/2026
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
- Introduced in Senate
One bill Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.