CLEAN Act

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4960 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 4960

To amend the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970 to increase the frequency of
   lease sales, to require replacement sales, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 14, 2026

   Mr. Risch introduced the following bill; which was read twice and
       referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

To amend the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970 to increase the frequency of
   lease sales, to require replacement sales, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Committing Leases for Energy Access
Now Act'' or the ``CLEAN Act''.

SEC. 2. GEOTHERMAL LEASING.

    (a) Annual Leasing.--Section 4(b) of the Geothermal Steam Act of
1970 (30 U.S.C. 1003(b)) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (2), by striking ``2 years'' and inserting
        ``year'';
            (2) by redesignating paragraphs (3) and (4) as paragraphs
        (5) and (6), respectively; and
            (3) after paragraph (2), by inserting the following:
            ``(3) Replacement sales.--If a lease sale under paragraph
        (1) for a year is canceled or delayed, the Secretary of the
        Interior shall conduct a replacement sale during the same year.
            ``(4) Requirement.--Of the nominated parcels eligible for
        geothermal development and utilization under the resource
        management plan in effect for the State, the Secretary shall,
        in conducting a lease sale under paragraph (2), offer for
        lease--
                    ``(A) 75 percent of such nominated parcels; and
                    ``(B) the remaining 25 percent of such nominated
                parcels, unless the Secretary provides a written
                justification that identifies a statutory,
                environmental, or administrative basis that prevents
                the Secretary from offering such nominated parcels for
                lease.''.
    (b) Deadlines for Consideration of Geothermal Drilling Permits.--
Section 4 of the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970 (30 U.S.C. 1003) is
amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(h) Deadlines for Consideration of Geothermal Drilling Permits.--
            ``(1) Notice.--Not later than 30 days after the date on
        which the Secretary receives an application for any geothermal
        drilling permit, the Secretary shall--
                    ``(A) provide written notice to the applicant that
                the application is complete; or
                    ``(B) notify the applicant that information is
                missing and specify any information that is required to
                be submitted for the application to be complete.
            ``(2) Issuance or deferral.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Not later than 30 days after the
                Secretary has provided written notice to an applicant
                for a geothermal drilling permit that the application
                for such permit is complete pursuant to paragraph
                (1)(A), the Secretary shall--
                            ``(i) issue the permit, if the requirements
                        under the National Environmental Policy Act of
                        1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and other
                        applicable law have been completed within such
                        timeframe; or
                            ``(ii) defer the decision on the permit and
                        provide to the applicant a notice--
                                    ``(I) that specifies any steps that
                                the applicant could take for the permit
                                to be issued; and
                                    ``(II) that includes a list of
                                actions that need to be taken by the
                                agency to comply with applicable law,
                                together with timelines and deadlines
                                for taking such actions, which shall
                                not exceed the deadlines specified in
                                section 107(g) of the National
                                Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42
                                U.S.C. 4336a(g)).
                    ``(B) Deadline for deferred decisions.--If the
                Secretary defers a decision on a permit under
                subparagraph (A)(ii), the Secretary shall issue a
                decision on the permit not later than 10 days after the
                applicant takes any steps specified pursuant to
                subparagraph (A)(ii)(I) and the agency takes the
                actions listed pursuant to subparagraph (A)(ii)(II) in
                accordance with any applicable timelines and
                deadlines.''.
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