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Geothermal Gold Book Development Act
H. R. 5617 To direct the Department of the Interior to identify and publish standard procedures and guidelines for geothermal leasing and permit issuance for environmentally responsible geothermal operations on Federal lands.
Summary
This bill directs the Secretary of the Interior to develop and publish standard procedures and guidelines for geothermal leasing and permitting on federal lands by updating the Bureau of Land Management's existing "Gold Book," which currently addresses oil and gas operations. The Secretary must identify geothermal procedures and guidelines not already covered in the current Gold Book within one year and publish an updated version within 270 days. The updated Gold Book must include procedures for geothermal exploration, permitting, compliance, construction, drilling, and production operations, and must be renamed to reflect the inclusion of geothermal guidance. The Secretary must review and update the Gold Book at least every five years to ensure it continues to support efficient and environmentally responsible geothermal development.
AI-generated plain-language summary of the bill text — neutral, and may be imperfect. See the full text below for the exact wording.
Sponsor (1)
1 cosponsor
- Rep. Huffman, Jared [D-CA-2] (D-CA)
Money behind the sponsor
Top reported contributors to Yassamin Ansari’s campaign committee (2024 cycle) — who funds the bill’s sponsor, not a claim about this bill. Data from FEC.
- PIVOTAL GROUP $15,750
- WINKLEVOSS CAPITAL MANAGEMENT $13,200
- BIJAN CAPITAL MANAGEMENT $13,200
- HOME CREATIONS $11,700
- RELIANCE MANAGEMENT $11,600
Organizations whose employees gave the most — itemized individual contributions grouped by the donor’s reported employer (FEC Schedule A). Full finance for Yassamin Ansari → · Outside spending →
Actions (9)
- May 20, 2026 Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 573. · house
- May 20, 2026 Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Natural Resources. H. Rept. 119-659. · house
- Mar 5, 2026 Ordered to be Reported in the Nature of a Substitute (Amended) by Unanimous Consent. · house
- Mar 5, 2026 Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held · house
- Mar 5, 2026 Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources Discharged · house
- Dec 16, 2025 Subcommittee Hearings Held · house
- Dec 9, 2025 Referred to the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources. · house
- Sep 30, 2025 Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources. · house
- Sep 30, 2025 Introduced in House
More bills on these subjects (8)
Other bills that carry the most legislative subjects in common with this one (topical discovery — distinct from the procedural related bills above).
Similar bills (6)
Bills with similar text or summary — includes reintroductions across Congresses. Ranked by semantic similarity of the bill text (computed locally); a neutral discovery aid, not a claim the bills are duplicates.
Text versions (2)
Bills are re-published as they move (Introduced → Reported → Engrossed → Enrolled …). Each stage below is a separate text; pick two to see what changed. Data from Congress.gov.
Full text
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
September 30, 2025
Ms. Ansari (for herself and Mr. Huffman) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources
May 20, 2026
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed [Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] [For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on September 30, 2025]
A BILL
To direct the Department of the Interior to identify and publish standard procedures and guidelines for geothermal leasing and permit issuance for environmentally responsible geothermal operations on Federal lands.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the “Geothermal Gold Book Development Act”.
SEC. 2. PUBLICATION OF “GOLD BOOK” FOR GEOTHERMAL OPERATIONS ON FEDERAL LANDS.
(a) Identification.—Not later than one year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Interior, in consultation with other relevant Federal agencies, shall identify standard procedures and guidelines for efficient and environmentally responsible geothermal leasing and permitting to the extent such standard procedures and guidelines are not addressed in the fourth edition of the Bureau of Land Management’s “Surface Operating Standards and Guidelines for Oil and Gas Exploration and Development”, commonly known as the “Gold Book” and last revised in 2007.
(b) Publication.—
(1) In general.—Not later than 270 days after identifying standard procedures and guidelines under subsection (a), the Secretary of the Interior shall publish an updated version of the Gold Book incorporating any changes necessary to support efficient and environmentally responsible geothermal leasing and permitting for use by the field offices of the Bureau of Land Management and geothermal operators.
(2) Renaming gold book.—The Secretary of the Interior shall rename the Gold Book to reflect the incorporation of standard procedures and guidelines related to geothermal development.
(c) Consultation.—Before publishing an updated version of the Gold Book, the Secretary of the Interior shall consult with—
(1) other relevant Federal agencies, including field offices of the Bureau of Land Management; and
(2) outside stakeholders, including developers and other experts.
(d) Inclusions.—Each updated version of the Gold Book shall include standard procedures and guidelines for ensuring the efficient review and approval of environmentally responsible geothermal development, including—
(1) exploration and geophysical operations;
(2) permitting lease operations;
(3) compliance with all applicable laws and regulations;
(4) construction and maintenance; and
(5) drilling, production, and utilization operations.
(e) Periodic Revision.—The Secretary of the Interior shall—
(1) at least once every five years, review the most recent version of the Gold Book; and
(2) if determined necessary by the Secretary of the Interior to support efficient and environmentally responsible geothermal leasing and permitting, publish an updated version of the Gold Book. Union Calendar No. 573
119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 5617
[Report No. 119-659]
A BILL
To direct the Department of the Interior to identify and publish standard procedures and guidelines for geothermal leasing and permit issuance for environmentally responsible geothermal operations on Federal lands.
May 20, 2026
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed
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