HR 1687: CLEAN Act

HR 1687 in plain English: The CLEAN Act would require the Department of the Interior to hold geothermal energy lease sales on federal land at least once a year, up from the current requirement of once every two years, and sets deadlines for responding to drilling permit applications.

Stated purpose

The CLEAN Act aims to increase how often the federal government holds lease sales for geothermal energy development on federal land and to set firm deadlines for processing geothermal drilling permit applications.

Key points

• Requires Interior to hold geothermal lease sales on federal land at least once a year, instead of once every two years.
• Requires all eligible nominated parcels to be offered at each lease sale under the applicable resource management plan.
• Requires a replacement lease sale in the same year if a scheduled sale is canceled or delayed.
• Sets deadlines for Interior to respond to geothermal drilling permit applications.

Arguments supporters make

• Holding lease sales every year instead of every two years cuts unnecessary delays and helps get clean, domestic geothermal energy online faster.
• Setting firm deadlines for permit decisions gives developers predictability and prevents projects from stalling in bureaucratic limbo indefinitely.
• Geothermal energy is a reliable, renewable resource, and faster leasing on already-nominated federal land makes better use of public resources without expanding the footprint of development.

Arguments opponents make

• Requiring 75 percent of nominated parcels to be offered at every sale — and the remaining 25 percent unless the agency writes a justification — limits the government's flexibility to weigh environmental concerns before committing land to energy development.
• Strict timelines for permit decisions could pressure agency staff to rush environmental reviews, potentially overlooking impacts to wildlife, water, or nearby communities.
• Mandating replacement sales in the same year if a sale is canceled could force the agency to proceed even when logistical or legal problems have not been fully resolved.

Tradeoffs

Faster leasing and permitting may accelerate domestic renewable energy production, but it also reduces the time and discretion available to federal agencies to conduct thorough environmental review and respond to local concerns before federal land is committed to development.

Current status in Congress: Passed House.

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