The Leader’s Floor Lookout: Thursday, November 14, 2024
Washington,
November 14, 2024
Here’s what to watch for on the House Floor today:
Unleashing American Geothermal Energy Production
Geothermal energy is a clean, renewable energy source that provides efficient and dependable power for long periods of time, making it a great resource for the United States to diversify our energy supply and restore our energy independence. Currently, however, burdensome regulations are restricting American geothermal production on non-federal lands by requiring geothermal operators producing even minuscule amounts of federal resources to adhere to all federal laws and permitting processes. This includes the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), which requires several lengthy review stages for geothermal permitting, holding up production for years and preventing geothermal operators from efficiently producing clean energy that can be used to generate electricity, heat American homes, and power industrial processes. We should be promoting geothermal energy production, not placing administrative hurdles in its way. House Republicans are bringing forward legislation to unleash geothermal energy and streamline its production by cutting permitting red-tape, promoting American energy independence and lowering costs for hardworking Americans. H.R. 7409, the Harnessing Energy At Thermal Sources Act, introduced by Rep. Young Kim, expedites geothermal energy production by exempting geothermal operators from federal drilling permit requirements, including NEPA, for wells on non-federal land where the United States holds an ownership interest of less than 50 percent of the subsurface geothermal estate. House Republicans won’t stop fighting to unleash American energy, lower costs for families, and restore U.S. energy independence. Cutting the Confusion Between Critical Minerals and Critical Materials The Energy Act of 2020 defines critical minerals as minerals designated by the Secretary of the Interior through the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to be critical, and requires the USGS to keep a critical minerals list (CML). Meanwhile, the Energy Act of 2020 defines critical materials as non-fuel minerals, elements, substances, or materials that play a vital role in one or more energy technologies and have a high risk or supply chain disruption, and instructs the Department of Energy (DOE) to develop a critical materials list that includes the critical minerals on the USGS CML. The differences between the DOE’s more inclusive critical materials list and the USGS CML goes beyond just the names – the USGS CML is eligible for more extensive energy-focused benefits than the DOE’s critical materials, including various clean energy tax credits, financing support, and Fast-41 Permitting Dashboard access. This means the critical materials on the DOE list that do not appear on the USGS CML, such as copper, electrical steel, fluorine, silicon, and silicon carbide, are disadvantaged. House Republicans are bringing legislation to eliminate the confusion between the DOE and USGS lists and ensure the same benefits are given to both Critical Materials and Critical Minerals, supporting U.S. self-reliance for critical minerals and materials. Critical minerals and critical materials are both essential to the United States’ national and energy security, and we should be prioritizing them equally to bolster our country’s supply chain and ensure consistency and clarity in U.S. mining. Rep. Juan Ciscomani’s legislation, H.R. 8446, the Critical Mineral Consistency Act of 2024, amends the Energy Act of 2020 to ensure all critical materials from the DOE’s critical materials list are included in the USGS CML, just as the critical minerals on the USGS CML are included in the DOE’s critical materials list. We will continue working to boost the critical production of copper and other critical materials, create more economic opportunities, reduce U.S. reliance on foreign adversaries, and bolster our national and energy security. |