To require the Secretary of Energy to establish a program to provide grants to States to award grants for the establishment of networked geothermal heating and cooling systems, and for other purposes.
About This Bill
Committee
Latest Action · September 25, 2024
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
The GEOTHERMAL Act of 2024 establishes a federal grant program that provides funding to states to support the development of networked geothermal heating and cooling systems. These systems use ground, water, or waste heat sources to provide heating and cooling to groups of buildings, with the goal of reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. The Department of Energy must establish the program within one year of the bill's enactment.
The bill authorizes $150 million for fiscal year 2025 and $120 million annually from 2026 through 2029, with at least 2 percent reserved for grants to Indian Tribes. States can use grant funds to help eligible recipients including nonprofits, colleges, municipalities, housing developments, utilities, and wastewater authorities deploy these systems, as well as to conduct feasibility studies and community thermal assessments. Priority is given to projects serving low-income communities, energy communities, and projects without access to private capital.
The legislation requires all construction work on funded projects to comply with prevailing wage standards under the Davis-Bacon Act and mandates that contractors participate in registered apprenticeship programs. States must report project results and any regulatory changes made to support these systems, while the Department of Energy must analyze heat pump performance data and maintain a public repository of completed studies and project information.
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