What This Bill Does · Plain English
Summary · Congress.gov
Harnessing Energy At Thermal Sources Act or the HEATS Act This bill exempts certain geothermal activities on state and private lands (except Indian lands) from drilling permit requirements as well as environmental and historic preservation review requirements. First, the bill prohibits the Department of the Interior from requiring an operator to obtain a drilling permit under the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970 for any geothermal exploration and production activity conducted on a nonfederal surface estate (i.e., the part of the estate that is above ground) if (1) the United States holds an ownership interest of less than 50% of the subsurface geothermal estate to be accessed by the proposed action, and (2) the operator submits to Interior a state permit to conduct the geothermal exploration and production activity on the nonfederal surface estate. Next, the bill states that such geothermal exploration and production activity is not considered a major federal action under National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). Thus, such activity does not trigger NEPA's environmental review requirements. In addition, the bill exempts such activity from the consultation requirements under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. It also exempts the activity from review under the National Historic Preservation Act unless the state in which the activity occurs does not have a state law that addresses the preservation of historic properties.
Vote Breakdown · How Congress voted on HR.5587
House
231-186
PASSED
Independents
231 yea
186 nay
⚠️ 12 members broke with party on this vote
Action Timeline
2026-04-28
Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
2026-04-23
Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
2026-04-23
Rule provides for consideration of H.R. 4690, H. Res. 1182, H.R. 1897 and H.R. 5587. The resolution provides for consideration of H.R. 4690, H. Res. 1182, H.R. 1897, and H.R. 5587 under a closed rule with one hour of general debate on each
2026-04-23
On passage Passed by the Yeas and Nays: 231 - 186 (Roll no. 137). (text: CR H3073)
2026-04-23
The previous question was ordered pursuant to the rule.
2026-04-23
DEBATE - The House proceeded with one hour of debate on H.R. 5587.
2026-04-23
Passed/agreed to in House: On passage Passed by the Yeas and Nays: 231 - 186 (Roll no. 137). (text: CR H3073)
2026-04-23
Considered under the provisions of rule H. Res. 1189. (consideration: CR H3073-3077)
2026-04-22
Rule H. Res. 1189 passed House.
2026-04-20
Rules Committee Resolution H. Res. 1189 Reported to House. Rule provides for consideration of H.R. 4690, H. Res. 1182, H.R. 1897 and H.R. 5587. The resolution provides for consideration of H.R. 4690, H. Res. 1182, H.R. 1897, and H.R. 5587 u
Frequently Asked Questions
Did HR.5587 pass?
HR.5587 is still alive. Current stage: PASSED_ONE. Pass likelihood: pending.
What does HR.5587 do?
Harnessing Energy At Thermal Sources Act or the HEATS Act This bill exempts certain geothermal activities on state and private lands (except Indian lands) from drilling permit requirements as well as environmental and historic preservation review requirements. First, the bill prohibits the Department of the Interior from requiring an operator to obtain a drilling permit under the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970 for any geothermal exploration and production activity conducted on a nonfederal surface estate (i.e., the part of the estate that is above ground) if (1) the United States holds an owners…
Who sponsored HR.5587?
HR.5587 was sponsored by Young Kim (R-California).
Who voted against HR.5587?
12 members broke with their party on this vote.
Full Bill Text
119 HR 5587 EH: Harnessing Energy At Thermal Sources Act of 2026 U.S. House of Representatives text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain. IB 119th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 5587 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AN ACT To amend the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970 to waive the requirement for a Federal drilling permit for certain activities, to exempt certain activities from the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Harnessing Energy At Thermal Sources Act of 2026 or the HEATS Act . 2. No Federal permit required for geothermal activities on certain land The Geothermal Steam Act of 1970 ( 30 U.S.C. 1001 et seq. ) is amended by adding at the end the following: 30. No Federal permit required for geothermal activities on certain land (a) In general The Secretary shall not require an operator to obtain a Federal drilling permit for geothermal exploration and production activities conducted on a non-Federal surface estate, provided that— (1) the United States holds an ownership interest of less than 50 percent of the subsurface geothermal estate to be accessed by the proposed action; and (2) the operator submits to the Secretary a State permit to conduct geothermal exploration and production activities on the non-Federal surface estate. (b) No Federal action A geothermal exploration and production activity carried out under subsection (a)— (1) shall not be considered a major Federal action for the purposes of section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969; (2) shall require no additional Federal action; (3) may commence 30 days after submission of the State permit to the Secretary; (4) shall not be subject to section 7 of the Endangered Species Act of 1973; and (5) shall only be considered an undertaking under division A of subtitle III of title 54, United States Code (commonly referred to as the National Historic Preservation Act ), if, with respect to the State in which the activity occurs, there is no State law in effect that addresses the preservation of historic properties in such State. (c) Royalties and production accountability (1) Nothing in this section shall affect the amount of royalties due to the United States under this Act from the production of electricity using geothermal resources (other than direct use of geothermal resources) or the production of any byproducts. (2) The Secretary may conduct onsite reviews and inspections to ensure proper accountability, measurement, and reporting of the production described in subsection (a), and payment of royalties. (d) Exceptions This section shall not apply to actions on Indian lands or resources managed in trust for the benefit of Indian Tribes. (e) Indian land In this section, the term Indian land means— (1) any land located within the boundaries of an Indian reservation, pueblo, or rancheria; and (2) any land not located within the boundaries of an Indian reservation, pueblo, or rancheria, the title to which is held— (A) in trust by the United States for the benefit of an Indian tribe or an individual Indian; (B) by an Indian tribe or an individual Indian, subject to restriction against alienation under laws of the United States; or (C) by a dependent Indian community. . Passed the House of Representatives April 23, 2026. Kevin F. McCumber, Clerk.
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