{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://begich.house.gov/media/press-releases/reps-begich-lee-introduce-geo-power-act-expand-next-generation-geothermal", "Reps. Begich, Lee Introduce Geo POWER Act to Expand Next-Generation Geothermal Energy Nationwide", "2026-04-23", "2026", "2026-04", "Republican", "House", "AK", "Nicholas J. Begich III", "B001323", "begich.house.gov", "begich", "https://begich.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 April 23, 2026 \u2013 Congressman Nick Begich (R-AK) and Congresswoman Susie Lee (D-NV) introduced the Geothermal Power Opportunity with Expanded Regions (Geo POWER) Act, bipartisan legislation aimed at accelerating the development of next-generation geothermal energy projects across the United States. The Geo POWER Act establishes a new milestone-based demonstration program at the Department of Energy (DOE) to support innovative geothermal projects in regions that currently lack access to geothermal electricity. By pairing federal support with private investment, the bill seeks to unlock reliable, affordable, and scalable clean energy nationwide.\n\n\u201cGeothermal energy has enormous, untapped potential to deliver reliable power across America,\u201d said Congressman Nick Begich. \u201cThe Geo POWER Act will allow us to harness that potential by reducing risk, encouraging innovation, and expanding geothermal development into new regions, including in Alaska. By investing in innovation today, we can deliver affordable, dependable energy for American families in the long term.\u201d\n\n\u201cHere in Nevada and across the nation, geothermal is a promising and proven 24/7 clean energy source with immense potential for further growth,\u201d said Congresswoman Susie Lee. \u201cThis bipartisan bill will help lower energy costs and advance American energy independence by scaling and speeding up the development of both our state\u2019s \u2014 and our country\u2019s \u2014 vast geothermal resources. At a time when energy costs are increasing across the nation, we need to embrace an all-of-the-above approach to help bring down southern Nevadans\u2019 utility bills \u2013 this legislation, and the home-grown energy it supports, will do just that.\u201d\n\nBACKGROUND:\n\nNext-generation geothermal technologies, such as enhanced geothermal systems, can generate clean electricity in a wide range of geologies, far beyond traditional geothermal hotspots. However, high upfront costs and geological uncertainty have limited deployment.\n\nThe Geo POWER Act addresses these challenges by:\n\nEstablishing a milestone-based financing program to reduce risk and ensure accountability\n\nSupporting projects that enable at least 30 megawatts of new geothermal capacity\n\nPrioritizing development in areas of the country with little or no existing geothermal power\n\nEncouraging data-sharing to accelerate future investment and innovation\n\nLeveraging private-sector capital to scale deployment\n\nGeothermal power provides consistent, around-the-clock electricity, strengthening grid reliability while lowering long-term energy costs. The bill requires DOE to support multiple projects across different states and developers, ensuring a diverse and competitive geothermal market that benefits communities nationwide.\n\n###", 1, "2026-06-27T21:44:12Z", "2026-06-27T22:19:40Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://begich.house.gov/media/press-releases/reps-begich-lee-introduce-geo-power-act-expand-next-generation-geothermal"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.175671048462391, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}