{"format":1,"id":"118-hr-7409","congress":118,"number":"H.R. 7409","kind":"bill","group":"bills","title":"Harnessing Energy At Thermal Sources Act","title_source":"Short Title(s) as Passed House","official_title":"To amend the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970 to waive the requirement for a Federal drilling permit for certain activities, to exempt certain activities from the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, and for other purposes.","titles":[{"type":"Official Title as Introduced","title":"To amend the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970 to waive the requirement for a Federal drilling permit for certain activities, to exempt certain activities from the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, and for other purposes."},{"type":"Short Titles from RFS (Referred to Senate) bill text","title":"Harnessing Energy At Thermal Sources Act"},{"type":"Short Titles from RFS (Referred to Senate) bill text","title":"HEATS Act"},{"type":"Short Title(s) as Passed House","title":"Harnessing Energy At Thermal Sources Act"},{"type":"Short Title(s) as Passed House","title":"HEATS Act"},{"type":"Short Title(s) as Reported to House","title":"HEATS Act"},{"type":"Short Title(s) as Reported to House","title":"Harnessing Energy At Thermal Sources Act"},{"type":"Display Title","title":"HEATS Act"},{"type":"Short Title(s) as Introduced","title":"Harnessing Energy At Thermal Sources Act"},{"type":"Short Title(s) as Introduced","title":"HEATS Act"}],"outcome":"passed_house","law_number":null,"introduced":"2024-02-20","chambers":{"house":{"status":"roll_call","date":"2024-11-14","vote":{"id":"118-2024-h464","question":"On Passage","title":"HEATS Act","result":"Passed","yea":225,"nay":181,"present":0,"not_voting":26,"source":"https://clerk.house.gov/evs/2024/roll464.xml"}},"senate":{"status":"na","date":null,"vote":null}},"president":{"status":"na","date":null},"vice_president_tie_breaker":null,"latest_action":{"text":"Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.","date":"2024-11-18"},"nominees":null,"amendments":[],"other_votes":[{"chamber":"house","date":"2024-11-14","question":"On Motion to Recommit","title":"HEATS Act","result":"Failed","yea":198,"nay":206,"present":0,"not_voting":28,"kind":"procedural","source":"https://clerk.house.gov/evs/2024/roll463.xml"}],"crs_summary":{"date":"2024-02-20","stage":"Introduced in House","blocks":[{"k":"h","t":"Harnessing Energy At Thermal Sources Act or the HEATS Act"},{"k":"p","t":"This bill exempts certain geothermal activities on state and private lands (except Indian lands) from drilling permit requirements as well as environmental and historic preservation review requirements."},{"k":"p","t":"First, the bill prohibits the Department of the Interior from requiring an operator to obtain a drilling permit under the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970 for any geothermal exploration and production activity conducted on a nonfederal surface estate (i.e., the part of the estate that is above ground) if (1) the United States holds an ownership interest of less than 50% of the subsurface geothermal estate to be accessed by the proposed action, and (2) the operator submits to Interior a state permit to conduct the geothermal exploration and production activity on the nonfederal surface estate."},{"k":"p","t":"Next, the bill states that such geothermal exploration and production activity is not considered a major federal action under National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). Thus, such activity does not trigger NEPA's environmental review requirements."},{"k":"p","t":"In addition, the bill exempts such activity from the consultation requirements under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. It also exempts the activity from review under the National Historic Preservation Act unless the state in which the activity occurs does not have a state law that addresses the preservation of historic properties."}],"words":221},"summary":{"main_subject":{"text":"Amends the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970 so that the Secretary of the Interior does not require a Federal drilling permit for geothermal exploration and production on non-Federal surface estate where the United States holds less than 50 percent of the subsurface geothermal estate and the operator submits a State permit.","cites":[{"label":"Sec. 2","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/7409/text/eh#HAD486058D37C468489C3072D56351200"}]},"core_areas":["Federal drilling permits for geothermal exploration and production on non-Federal surface estate","Exemption of those activities from National Environmental Policy Act, Endangered Species Act and National Historic Preservation Act requirements","Royalties and onsite inspections for geothermal production"],"what_it_does":[{"text":"Bars the Secretary from requiring a Federal drilling permit for geothermal exploration and production on a non-Federal surface estate when the United States holds less than 50 percent of the subsurface geothermal estate to be accessed and the operator submits a State permit to the Secretary.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 2","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/7409/text/eh#HAD486058D37C468489C3072D56351200"}},{"text":"Provides that such an activity is not a major Federal action under section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 and requires no additional Federal action.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 2","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/7409/text/eh#HAD486058D37C468489C3072D56351200"}},{"text":"Allows such an activity to begin 30 days after the State permit is submitted to the Secretary.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 2","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/7409/text/eh#HAD486058D37C468489C3072D56351200"}},{"text":"Provides that such an activity is not subject to section 7 of the Endangered Species Act of 1973.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 2","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/7409/text/eh#HAD486058D37C468489C3072D56351200"}},{"text":"Treats such an activity as an undertaking under the National Historic Preservation Act only if the State where it occurs has no State law in effect addressing the preservation of historic properties.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 2","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/7409/text/eh#HAD486058D37C468489C3072D56351200"}},{"text":"Leaves unchanged the royalties due to the United States, allows the Secretary to conduct onsite reviews and inspections of production and royalty payment, and excludes actions on Indian lands from these provisions.","cite":{"label":"Sec. 2","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/7409/text/eh#HAD486058D37C468489C3072D56351200"}}],"unexpected":[{"category":"selective_carve_out","items":[{"cite":{"label":"Sec. 2","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/7409/text/eh#HAD486058D37C468489C3072D56351200"},"heading":"No Federal permit required for geothermal activities on certain land","effect":"Bars the Secretary from requiring a Federal drilling permit for geothermal activity on non-Federal surface estate, but the section does not apply to Indian lands or resources held in trust for Indian Tribes.","amount":null,"quote":"This section shall not apply to actions on Indian lands or resources managed in trust for the benefit of Indian Tribes."}]}],"version":{"type":"Engrossed in House","date":"2024-11-14","rule":"passed","href":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/7409/text/eh"},"current":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","approved":"2026-09-30","approved_by":"checks"},"sources":{"congress_gov":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/7409","text":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/7409/text"},"card":{"image":"card/item/118-hr-7409.png","v":"df3996ce741e","alt":"Votes on Record. H.R. 7409, 118th Congress: Harnessing Energy At Thermal Sources Act. House: 225 Yea, 181 Nay. Outcome: Passed House, 14 Nov 2024."}}