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Core Policy Mechanism Top 2
Supercritical geothermal exploration borehole authorization
Authorizes the Department of the Interior (DOI) Secretary, in consultation with the Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary, to commission the drilling of supercritical geothermal exploration boreholes in representative U.S. geological provinces to provide control points for deep heat mapping, with all resulting data made publicly available. Requires the Department of Energy (DOE) to periodically update the existing federal geothermal data repository to standardize data formats, enhance accessibility, improve regional and site-specific analysis capabilities, and make other usability improvements as determined by the Secretary. Directs the Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary to enter into a memorandum of understanding with the Department of the Interior (DOI) Secretary and other relevant federal agency heads to share geothermal-relevant subsurface data — including heat, seismic, lithology, and transmission data — generated by federally funded mining, critical minerals, and energy projects. Expands the enhanced geothermal systems research and development program under the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 to encompass next-generation geothermal systems — including closed-loop systems and supercritical conditions — and adds supercritical conditions as an explicit, named research topic alongside existing research areas. Amends the hydrothermal research and development provision of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 to explicitly authorize the use of machine learning algorithms as advanced tools for geothermal resource identification and development.
- Population Scope Low Directly affects a narrow set of federal agencies, geothermal researchers, deep-drilling contractors, and developers in specific geological provinces — a small fraction of entities nationwide.
- Budgetary Magnitude Low No explicit dollar amount is authorized for borehole commissioning, data repository updates, or the interagency MOU; any spending flows from the general authorization in the separate funding component.
- Legal / Regulatory Depth High Creates new statutory mandates and authorities — a new Department of the Interior (DOI) commissioning power, a binding interagency MOU duty, an expanded R&D program scope, and mandatory data-sharing obligations — representing substantive changes to the legal framework governing federal geothermal programs.
- Degree of Discretion Granted High The borehole commissioning authority is permissive ('may'), the MOU scope and data prioritization are broad, and the R&D expansion delegates wide latitude to the Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary to determine additional improvements and research topics.
- Implementation & Enforcement Burden Low Creates no penalties, compliance mandates on private parties, or new enforcement infrastructure; implementation obligations fall entirely on federal agency coordination and discretionary commissioning.
- Temporal Commitment High Statutory amendments to the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 with no expiry or reauthorization requirement persist indefinitely until Congress acts to repeal or modify them.
No signal yet
Funding / Appropriations Top 2
Authorization of appropriations
Authorizes appropriations to carry out Geothermal energy.
- Population Scope Low Funding flows to DOE's Geothermal Technologies Office and grant recipients — a narrow set of federal, academic, and private research entities, not the general public.
- Budgetary Magnitude High Authorizes $150,000,000 per fiscal year for FY2027–2031, totaling $750 million over five years, a recurring discretionary appropriation of substantial scale.
- Legal / Regulatory Depth Low A standing authorization of appropriations creates no new substantive rights, duties, or prohibitions; it is a fiscal enabling act dependent on subsequent congressional appropriations action.
- Degree of Discretion Granted Low Sets a fixed ceiling with funds derived from amounts already authorized to the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, leaving the Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary no discretion over the authorization level itself.
- Implementation & Enforcement Burden Low An authorization of appropriations imposes no enforcement mechanism, penalty, or compliance obligation on any party.
- Temporal Commitment Low The authorization covers a fixed five-year window (FY2027–2031) with a hard expiry, self-terminating without further congressional action.
No signal yet
No possible riders have been surfaced for this bill.
Summary
This bill amends the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 to update and expand federal geothermal energy research and development programs. It adds new statutory definitions for closed-loop geothermal systems, next-generation geothermal systems, and supercritical geothermal; broadens existing R&D programs to cover these emerging technologies; modernizes the federal geothermal data repository; establishes interagency data-sharing obligations; and authorizes exploratory drilling of supercritical geothermal boreholes in representative U.S. geological provinces. Among other elements, the bill * expands the enhanced geothermal systems R&D program to include next-generation and supercritical geothermal technologies; * requires the Department of Energy (DOE) to periodically update and modernize the federal geothermal data repository; * directs DOE to enter an interagency memorandum of understanding to share subsurface data from federally funded energy and mining projects; * authorizes the Department of the Interior (DOI) to commission supercritical geothermal exploration boreholes across representative geological provinces; * and adds machine learning as an explicit tool for hydrothermal resource identification and development.
AI-generated summary, pending human review.
| Version | Event | Date | User support | Your vote | Roll calls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Original |
Initial publication
May 13, 2026
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May 13, 2026 | No votes yet | — | — |
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Core Policy Mechanism Top 2
Supercritical geothermal exploration borehole authorization
Authorizes the Department of the Interior (DOI) Secretary, in consultation with the Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary, to commission the drilling of supercritical geothermal exploration boreholes in representative U.S. geological provinces to provide control points for deep heat mapping, with all resulting data made publicly available. Requires the Department of Energy (DOE) to periodically update the existing federal geothermal data repository to standardize data formats, enhance accessibility, improve regional and site-specific analysis capabilities, and make other usability improvements as determined by the Secretary. Directs the Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary to enter into a memorandum of understanding with the Department of the Interior (DOI) Secretary and other relevant federal agency heads to share geothermal-relevant subsurface data — including heat, seismic, lithology, and transmission data — generated by federally funded mining, critical minerals, and energy projects. Expands the enhanced geothermal systems research and development program under the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 to encompass next-generation geothermal systems — including closed-loop systems and supercritical conditions — and adds supercritical conditions as an explicit, named research topic alongside existing research areas. Amends the hydrothermal research and development provision of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 to explicitly authorize the use of machine learning algorithms as advanced tools for geothermal resource identification and development.
- Population Scope Low Directly affects a narrow set of federal agencies, geothermal researchers, deep-drilling contractors, and developers in specific geological provinces — a small fraction of entities nationwide.
- Budgetary Magnitude Low No explicit dollar amount is authorized for borehole commissioning, data repository updates, or the interagency MOU; any spending flows from the general authorization in the separate funding component.
- Legal / Regulatory Depth High Creates new statutory mandates and authorities — a new Department of the Interior (DOI) commissioning power, a binding interagency MOU duty, an expanded R&D program scope, and mandatory data-sharing obligations — representing substantive changes to the legal framework governing federal geothermal programs.
- Degree of Discretion Granted High The borehole commissioning authority is permissive ('may'), the MOU scope and data prioritization are broad, and the R&D expansion delegates wide latitude to the Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary to determine additional improvements and research topics.
- Implementation & Enforcement Burden Low Creates no penalties, compliance mandates on private parties, or new enforcement infrastructure; implementation obligations fall entirely on federal agency coordination and discretionary commissioning.
- Temporal Commitment High Statutory amendments to the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 with no expiry or reauthorization requirement persist indefinitely until Congress acts to repeal or modify them.
No signal yet
Core Policy Mechanism
Supercritical geothermal exploration borehole authorization
Funding / Appropriations Top 2
Authorization of appropriations
Authorizes appropriations to carry out Geothermal energy.
- Population Scope Low Funding flows to DOE's Geothermal Technologies Office and grant recipients — a narrow set of federal, academic, and private research entities, not the general public.
- Budgetary Magnitude High Authorizes $150,000,000 per fiscal year for FY2027–2031, totaling $750 million over five years, a recurring discretionary appropriation of substantial scale.
- Legal / Regulatory Depth Low A standing authorization of appropriations creates no new substantive rights, duties, or prohibitions; it is a fiscal enabling act dependent on subsequent congressional appropriations action.
- Degree of Discretion Granted Low Sets a fixed ceiling with funds derived from amounts already authorized to the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, leaving the Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary no discretion over the authorization level itself.
- Implementation & Enforcement Burden Low An authorization of appropriations imposes no enforcement mechanism, penalty, or compliance obligation on any party.
- Temporal Commitment Low The authorization covers a fixed five-year window (FY2027–2031) with a hard expiry, self-terminating without further congressional action.
No signal yet
Funding / Appropriations
Authorization of appropriations
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