U.S. Chamber Backs Geothermal Energy Advancement Act

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is throwing its weight behind H.R. 5631, the Geothermal Energy Advancement Act, urging the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources to favorably report the bipartisan bill. In a July 29, 2026 letter addressed to Chairman Lee and Ranking Member Heinrich, the Chamber called the package "highly impactful legislation" and pressed committee members to vote "yes."

The letter, signed by Neil Bradley, the Chamber's Executive Vice President, Chief Policy Officer, and Head of Strategic Advocacy, frames the bill as a fix for a federal permitting system the business group says stifles energy development. Projects today, the Chamber argues, "too often face unnecessary delays and uncertainty driven by duplicative reviews, unclear timelines, and process bottlenecks."

What the bill would do

The Chamber says the Geothermal Energy Advancement Act targets permitting obstacles through five mechanisms:

• Clearer timelines and accountability for processing lease applications
• Expedited National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) reviews for certain geothermal activities
• Allowing appropriate recovery of permitting-related costs
• Directing the Department of the Interior to develop standard guidelines supporting environmentally responsible geothermal projects
• Establishing a geothermal ombudsman and permitting task force to coordinate and troubleshoot permitting challenges

Taken together, the measures aim to make geothermal permitting what the Chamber describes as "transparent, predictable, and efficient" — conditions it says are prerequisites for modernizing and expanding American energy infrastructure.

Demand pressure from AI and electrification

The Chamber's push rests on an argument about surging electricity demand. Power needs are growing, the letter states, driven by "the deployment of artificial intelligence, widespread electrification, and the growth in manufacturing." Geothermal, a firm, around-the-clock renewable source, is positioned in the letter as part of the answer — provided Congress advances what the Chamber calls "practical reforms that enable timely investment while maintaining responsible environmental stewardship."

That framing aligns geothermal with the broader permitting fight the Chamber has waged across energy sectors, where the lobby has consistently argued that review delays, not resource availability, are the binding constraint on new generation.

A caveat on royalties

The endorsement comes with one stated reservation. The Chamber says it "look[s] forward to working with Congress to further refine the royalty reform provisions within H.R. 5631 to ensure we fully maximize the benefits of the bill." The letter does not specify what changes the group seeks, but the language signals that the bill's royalty terms remain open to negotiation as it moves through the Senate.

The letter was copied to all members of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, indicating the Chamber intends its position to shape the full committee's vote, not just the leadership's agenda.

For geothermal developers and utilities watching federal policy, the Chamber's intervention adds significant business-community pressure ahead of the committee's markup. If H.R. 5631 advances with the Chamber's backing, companies positioning around AI-driven load growth gain a clearer federal pathway for one of the few baseload clean energy technologies still constrained primarily by permitting timelines.