H.R. 1363, Exploring for Geothermal Energy on Federal Lands Act | Congressional Budget Office

As ordered reported by the House Committee on Natural Resources on September 18, 2014

H.R. 1363 would exempt certain geothermal exploration projects from complying with provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Based on information from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), CBO estimates that implementing the legislation would have no significant effect on the federal budget. Enacting H.R. 1363 would not affect direct spending or revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply.

Under the bill, geothermal exploration projects that meet certain requirements related to the duration of the activities, the amount of land disturbed, and the restoration of the project site would not be required to obtain an environmental impact review under NEPA. The Secretary of the Interior would have 10 days to review proposed projects to determine whether they meet the requirements necessary to obtain a NEPA exemption. Based on information provided by BLM, CBO estimates that implementing the legislation would have a negligible effect on the agency’s workload.

H.R. 1363 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and would impose no costs on state, local, or tribal governments.

H.R. 1363, Exploring for Geothermal Energy on Federal Lands Act | Congressional Budget Office