STEAM Act

This bill would expedite the environmental review process for certain geothermal energy projects by applying categorical exclusions under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969. These exclusions would allow specific geothermal drilling activities to proceed without a full environmental assessment or impact statement if they occur in areas with recent prior drilling or within fields already designated for such activity in approved land use plans. To qualify, the previous drilling or environmental documentation must have occurred or been approved within five years of the new project's start date.

This bill affects entities involved in geothermal energy exploration and development by streamlining the environmental review process for certain drilling activities. It specifically impacts developers seeking to drill geothermal wells in areas with recent prior drilling activity or within fields already designated for such activities in approved land use plans. Additionally, federal agencies responsible for administering the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) are affected by the expansion of categorical exclusions to include these geothermal activities.

• Expansion of NEPA categorical exclusions for geothermal activities. The bill amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to include specific geothermal exploration and development activities under existing environmental review exclusions originally established for oil and gas operations.
• Streamlined approval for drilling in previously active areas. A categorical exclusion from environmental assessments or impact statements is applied to geothermal wells drilled in locations where drilling occurred within the preceding five years.
• Expedited review for wells in developed fields. The bill authorizes exclusions for drilling within developed fields if a land use plan or environmental document approved within the last five years identified drilling as a reasonably foreseeable activity.

This bill expands the Energy Policy Act of 2005 by applying an existing categorical exclusion from the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) to certain geothermal exploration and development activities. By doing so, it treats specific geothermal drilling projects similarly to certain oil and gas activities that are already exempt from requiring detailed environmental assessments or impact statements.

The bill aims to expedite the environmental review process for geothermal energy exploration and development by applying existing categorical exclusions under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 to specific geothermal drilling activities.