Idaho Congressman Russ Fulcher has introduced a bill aimed at making it easier to explore and develop geothermal energy resources. The legislation, known as H.R. 5576, seeks to reduce regulatory barriers for geothermal exploration on federal land.
Fulcher explained the main challenge facing geothermal development: “[The] biggest obstacle thus far has been just simply not getting permission or not getting access to where the resources are. And so that’s what this legislation is geared to try to do, is just make it available.”
Currently, developers must complete an Environmental Assessment (EA) before exploring geothermal sites on federal land, a process that can take up to 10 months and does not guarantee approval. In contrast, oil and gas exploration does not require an EA if the land is already approved for drilling. Fulcher’s bill would place geothermal exploration under similar rules as oil and gas, which he believes will accelerate project timelines.
“So we think we’ve got a real win win situation here. We’ve got a great source of energy that’s a dependable baseload. It’s cheap, it’s clean, it takes a very small footprint that it disturbs on the land surface,” said Fulcher. “And and it’s just a great energy source at a time when our energy demands are really skyrocketing.”
Russ Fulcher has represented Idaho’s 1st congressional district since 2019 after succeeding Raúl Labrador. Before serving in Congress, he was a member of the Idaho Senate from 2005 to 2014. Born in Boise in 1962, Fulcher currently resides in Meridian and holds degrees from Boise State University.
