Biden administration proposes to boost geothermal energy projects by cutting early-stage environmental reviews

The Biden administration proposed this week to speed up the process of approving geothermal energy projects by exempting them from early-stage environmental reviews.

If the Bureau of Land Management finalizes its proposal, geothermal energy projects on public lands will no longer have to undergo an environmental impact analysis for early stage confirmation that an area is suitable for geothermal activity.

Companies will still have to undergo environmental review to actually harness geothermal energy. 

Geothermal power is energy produced from heat that’s deep within the Earth. It is a climate-friendly and renewable source of energy.

While the proposal would only apply to public lands, much of the land in the Western U.S. is owned by the government, and that area is a particular hotspot. 

The Biden administration’s press release particularly noted that the proposal could bolster production in swing-state Nevada, home to some of the largest geothermal potential in the country.

“Geothermal energy is one of our greatest untapped clean energy resources on public lands,” Steve Feldgus, the Interior Department’s principal deputy assistant secretary for land and minerals management, said in a written statement. 

“Today’s actions are part of the Department’s work to deliver on new opportunities, new technologies, and new solutions in geothermal energy that support the Biden-Harris administration’s commitment to create jobs, economic growth, and clean carbon-free electricity for communities throughout the West,” he said. 

In addition to the proposal, the administration this week also approved a major geothermal energy project, the Fervo Cape Geothermal Power Project in Utah. This project could generate enough energy to power more than 2 million homes. 

Jeanine Vany, co-founder and executive vice president of corporate affairs at geothermal company Eavor, praised news of the potential changes in environmental analysis, but also said that more needs to be done to help the emerging industry.

She said the announcement would mean her company is “absolutely” more likely to invest in geothermal on public lands but that another exemption is needed to level “the playing field with oil and gas.”

“If we really want to expedite clean energy across the United States, particularly on the geothermal front, Congress should look at a more robust and integrated regulatory environment for geothermal,” Vany said.