Advances in fracking have expanded access to deep Earth ‘hot rocks,’ making this carbon-free ‘green’ energy popular in Congress and with Trump energy nominees.
Advances in deep directional drilling fostered by hydraulic fracturing—or fracking—for natural gas are increasingly being deployed to tap into and develop geothermal energy encased below the Earth’s surface.
According to the United States Department of Energy (DOE), geothermal energy generates less than a half-percent of the nation’s utility-scale electricity with the present capacity to contribute up to 3 percent. However, that production could dramatically scale up to as much as 30 percent by 2050 if experimental “supercritical” enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) prove viable.
Geothermal production enjoys bipartisan support in Congress, similar to nuclear power, as a carbon-free renewable “green” energy that also fits within the incoming Trump administration’s “drill baby drill” call to lower electricity and fuel costs as part of an “all of the above” strategy.
A passel of geothermal bills await chamber floor votes, but with less than a dozen legislative days left before the lame-duck Congress adjourns Dec. 19, most are likely to be re-introduced next year after the new Congress convenes Jan. 3.
Among them is H.R. 8665, the “Supercritical Geothermal Research and Development Act,” co-sponsored by Reps. Frank Lucas (R-Okla.) and Andrea Salinas (D-Ore.), which directs federal agencies to prioritize and coordinate geothermal research.
The bill passed through House Energy and Commerce Committee subcommittees in June and July. It’s among 23 bills the committee adopted on Nov. 20 and sent to the House floor.
“Supercritical geothermal,” often referred to as “superhot rock energy,” is among DOE-defined EGS initiatives proponents say could produce significantly more renewable energy than conventional geothermal systems can.
Among other geothermal-related bills on chamber floors is the Harnessing Energy At Thermal Sources Act, or HEATS Act, which would exempt some geothermal drilling proposals from review under the National Environmental Policy Act, the Endangered Species Act, and the National Historic Preservation Act.
Under the proposed HEATS Act, introduced by Rep. Young Kim (R-Calif.) and advanced Nov. 12 by the House Rules Committee, geothermal exploration on non-federal lands that contain less than 50 percent of subsurface estate would not need a federal drilling permit if approved by local and state governments.
By John Haughey
