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Read. Follow. Verify.Next-Generation Geothermal Research and Development Act
Last action · April 28, 2026: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.Sponsors: Catherine Cortez Masto and 1 other
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What This Bill Would Do
This bill updates federal energy law to expand research and development for advanced geothermal energy technologies, including closed-loop and supercritical systems. It mandates new data-sharing agreements between federal agencies and requires the drilling of deep exploration boreholes to map subsurface heat resources.
The bill directs the Department of Energy to expand geothermal research and data collection, which could influence future energy infrastructure projects and the availability of subsurface geological data for energy and mining developers.
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Geothermal energy developers
They will gain access to a standardized, public repository of subsurface data collected from various energy and mining projects.
Mining and fossil fuel companies
Their subsurface data, including heat and seismic information, will be integrated into a federal repository for public use.
Department of Energy
The agency is tasked with creating a new research program and ensuring testing capabilities at FORGE sites.
Key Facts
- Defines 'next-generation geothermal systems' to include enhanced geothermal systems, closed-loop systems, and supercritical geothermal technologies.
- Requires the Secretary of Energy to ensure at least one FORGE (Frontier Observatory for Research in Geothermal Energy) site is capable of testing supercritical geothermal systems within one year of enactment.
- Mandates the creation of a 'Next-Generation Research and Development Program' within the Geothermal Technologies Office.
- Requires the Department of the Interior to commission the drilling of deep exploration boreholes (deeper than 8 kilometers) to map heat, lithology, and subsurface stress.
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- Expands the federal geothermal drilling data repository to include publicly available subsurface data from fossil fuel and mining operations.
- Directs the Secretary of Energy to enter into a memorandum of understanding with the Secretary of the Interior to share geothermal, seismic, and heat data from energy and mining projects.
- Authorizes the use of machine learning algorithms to assist in hydrothermal research and development.
- Requires the standardization and increased accessibility of geothermal data to enable regional and site-specific analysis.
- Establishes that supercritical geothermal energy is derived from resources at or above the supercritical temperature of the primary fluid present.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are 'closed-loop' geothermal systems?
Will this bill make private mining or energy data public?
What is the goal of drilling boreholes deeper than 8 kilometers?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.
Procedural history
2 actions- Apr 28, 2026SenateCommitteeRead twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
- Apr 28, 2026SenateIntroducedIntroduced in Senate
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Integration of Mining Data into Energy Research
The bill explicitly bridges the gap between fossil fuel/mining operations and geothermal research by mandating the sharing of subsurface data across these sectors.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.congress.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance65How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy20Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz15Current news / social attention level
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