Reported in House — H.R. 5638

Union Calendar No. 575

119th CONGRESS

2d Session

H. R. 5638

[Report No. 119–661]

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

September 30, 2025

Mr. Kennedy of Utah introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources

May 20, 2026

Additional sponsor: Mr. Begich

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

A BILL

To amend the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970 to require royalties on production from leased geothermal resources to be based on production from each electric generating facility, and for other purposes.

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 Royalty Reform Act.

Sec. 2. Geothermal royalties

(a) Definitions

Section 2 of the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970 (30 U.S.C. 1001) is amended by adding at the end the following:

(h)
Geothermal electric generating facility means a facility, including all necessary equipment or structures (including turbines and cooling equipment), that produces electricity using geothermal resources. For purposes of section 5(a)(1), a facility described in the preceding sentence shall be considered a separate facility from any other such facility unless the facility shares a turbine with any other such facility.
(i)
In-service date means, with respect to a geothermal electric generating facility, the date on which the geothermal electric generating facility begins operating.

(b) Geothermal royalties

Section 5(a)(1) of the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970 (30 U.S.C. 1004(a)(1)) is amended—

(1)

in subparagraph (A)—

(A)

by inserting with respect to a geothermal electric generating facility producing electricity from such resources, before not less than;

(B)

by inserting by the geothermal electric generating facility after produced; and

(C)

by striking the first 10 years of production under the lease and inserting each year of the 10-year period following the in-service date of the geothermal electric generating facility; and

(2)

in subparagraph (B)—

(A)

by inserting with respect to a geothermal electric generating facility producing electricity from such resources, before not less than;

(B)

by inserting by the geothermal electric generating facility after produced; and

(C)

by striking such 10-year period and inserting the period of 10 years described in subparagraph (A).