Geothermal Ombudsman for National Deployment and Optimal Reviews Act

This bill would require the Secretary of the Interior to appoint a Geothermal Ombudsman from within the Bureau of Land Management within 60 days of the law taking effect. The Ombudsman would act as a liaison among Bureau offices, help resolve disputes between Bureau offices and applicants for geothermal permits, monitor permit timelines, and develop best practices for geothermal permitting and leasing on public land. The bill would also create a Geothermal Permitting Task Force led by the Ombudsman, which could assign Interior Department staff from one office to help process geothermal permits handled by another office. The Ombudsman could pay these assigned employees a retention allowance of up to 25 percent of their basic pay and would report each year to congressional committees on the Task Force's work.

Full text and official record on Congress.gov

Sponsors

• Catherine Cortez Masto Democrat sponsor
• 1 cosponsors