[Report No. 119–659]
September 30, 2025
Ms. Ansari (for herself and Mr. Huffman) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources
May 20, 2026
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed
Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic
For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on September 30, 2025
To direct the Department of the Interior to identify and publish standard procedures and guidelines for geothermal leasing and permit issuance for environmentally responsible geothermal operations on Federal lands.
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 Geothermal Gold Book Development Act
.
Sec. 2. Publication of Gold Book
for geothermal operations on Federal lands
(a) Identification
Not later than one year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Interior, in consultation with other relevant Federal agencies, shall identify standard procedures and guidelines for efficient and environmentally responsible geothermal leasing and permitting to the extent such standard procedures and guidelines are not addressed in the fourth edition of the Bureau of Land Management’s Surface Operating Standards and Guidelines for Oil and Gas Exploration and Development
, commonly known as the Gold Book
and last revised in 2007.
(b) Publication
(1) In general
Not later than 270 days after identifying standard procedures and guidelines under subsection (a), the Secretary of the Interior shall publish an updated version of the Gold Book incorporating any changes necessary to support efficient and environmentally responsible geothermal leasing and permitting for use by the field offices of the Bureau of Land Management and geothermal operators.
(2) Renaming Gold Book
The Secretary of the Interior shall rename the Gold Book to reflect the incorporation of standard procedures and guidelines related to geothermal development.
(c) Consultation
Before publishing an updated version of the Gold Book, the Secretary of the Interior shall consult with—
(1)
other relevant Federal agencies, including field offices of the Bureau of Land Management; and
(2)
outside stakeholders, including developers and other experts.
(d) Inclusions
Each updated version of the Gold Book shall include standard procedures and guidelines for ensuring the efficient review and approval of environmentally responsible geothermal development, including—
(1)
exploration and geophysical operations;
(2)
permitting lease operations;
(3)
compliance with all applicable laws and regulations;
(4)
construction and maintenance; and
(5)
drilling, production, and utilization operations.
(e) Periodic revision
The Secretary of the Interior shall—
(1)
at least once every five years, review the most recent version of the Gold Book; and
(2)
if determined necessary by the Secretary of the Interior to support efficient and environmentally responsible geothermal leasing and permitting, publish an updated version of the Gold Book.