09/16/26
Western Governors voice support for pending legislation to support geothermal energy
In correspondence with the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, Western Governors shared policy recommendations for pending legislation to advance geothermal energy.
“These include extending regulatory efficiencies already available to oil and gas development to geothermal projects to help streamline permitting and provide greater regulatory certainty, and expanding funding for geothermal demonstration projects,” read the letter of September 16, 2026, signed by WGA Executive Director Jack Waldorf. “Improving regional resource assessments can also increase the rate of successful geothermal exploration, and Governors support the U.S. Geological Survey Earth Mapping Resources Initiative as a valuable effort to strengthen geological data available for geothermal and critical mineral development.”