What This Bill Does · Plain English
Summary · Congress.gov
Streamlining Thermal Energy through Advanced Mechanisms Act or the STEAM Act This bill expedites the environmental review of certain geothermal energy activities under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). Specifically, the bill expands the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to include certain geothermal exploration or development activities in an existing categorical exclusion from NEPA for certain oil or gas activities. A categorical exclusion applies to a class of actions that do not require an environmental assessment nor an environmental impact statement under NEPA. The categorical exclusion established by the bill applies to drilling a geothermal well (1) in an area where drilling has occurred previously within the five years prior to the date when drilling begins; or (2) within a developed field for which an approved land use plan or environmental document prepared under NEPA determined drilling to be a reasonably foreseeable activity, so long as the plan or document was approved within the five years prior to the date when drilling begins.
Action Timeline
2025-02-06
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
2025-02-06
Introduced in Senate
Frequently Asked Questions
Did S.456 pass?
S.456 is still alive. Current stage: COMMITTEE. Pass likelihood: 29%.
What does S.456 do?
Streamlining Thermal Energy through Advanced Mechanisms Act or the STEAM Act This bill expedites the environmental review of certain geothermal energy activities under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). Specifically, the bill expands the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to include certain geothermal exploration or development activities in an existing categorical exclusion from NEPA for certain oil or gas activities. A categorical exclusion applies to a class of actions that do not require an environmental assessment nor an environmental impact statement under NEPA. The categorical…
Who sponsored S.456?
S.456 was sponsored by Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nevada).
Full Bill Text
119 S456 IS: Streamlining Thermal Energy through Advanced Mechanisms Act U.S. Senate 2025-02-06 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. II 119th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 456 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES February 6 (legislative day, February 5), 2025 Ms. Cortez Masto (for herself and Ms. Murkowski ) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources A BILL To amend the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to expedite geothermal exploration and development in previously studied or developed areas. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Streamlining Thermal Energy through Advanced Mechanisms Act or the STEAM Act . 2. NEPA Review Section 390 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 ( 42 U.S.C. 15942 ) is amended— (1) in subsection (a), by inserting , or the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970 ( 30 U.S.C. 1001 et seq. ) for the purpose of exploration or development of geothermal resources after or gas ; and (2) in subsection (b)— (A) in paragraph (2), by striking or gas and inserting , gas, or geothermal ; and (B) in paragraph (3), by striking or gas and inserting , gas, or geothermal .
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