Alexander Richter writes in Think Geoenergy of a new legislative effort to help streamline geothermal permitting.
- Geothermal is a largely untapped source of clean and reliable energy.
- While clean and safe, geothermal experiences several regulatory hurdles that hinder its deployment including permitting challenges and inefficient environmental reviews.
- By making it easier to deploy geothermal energy, we can advance an energy source that benefits our environment and economy alike.
“With 90 percent of viable geothermal resources located on federally managed lands, almost all geothermal projects are subject to the NEPA review process. Currently, most geothermal exploration wells require an Environmental Assessment (EA) to be filed before exploration begins. This EA process for geothermal projects averages 10 months, meaning interested parties must wait nearly a year to determine if a viable geothermal resource even exists.”
Read the full article here.
The views and opinions expressed are those of the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of C3.
