HEATS Act

This bill amends the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970 to waive the requirement for a Federal drilling permit for certain geothermal activities on non-Federal surface estates, and exempts those activities from the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969.

Sec. 2, No Federal permit required for geothermal activities on certain land: The Secretary of the Interior cannot require a Federal drilling permit for geothermal exploration and production on non-Federal surface land if the United States owns less than 50% of the subsurface geothermal estate and the operator submits a State permit. Such activities are not considered a major Federal action under NEPA, require no additional Federal action, may start 30 days after the State permit is submitted, are not subject to the Endangered Species Act, and are only subject to the National Historic Preservation Act if the State has no historic preservation law. Royalties due to the United States are unaffected, and the Secretary may conduct onsite reviews and inspections. This section does not apply to Indian lands or trust resources.