Geothermal Energy Research, Development, and Demonstration Act
Latest action. Referred to House Committee on Science and Astronautics.
Geothermal Energy Research, Development, and Demonstration Act - Title I: Geothermal Energy Coordination and Management Project - Establishes the Geothermal Energy Coordination and Management Project, which shall have responsibility for management and coordination of a national geothermal energy research, development, and demonstration program. States that such responsibility shall be carried out in cooperation with the Interior Department, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Atomic Energy Commission, and National Science Foundation. Directs the Project to explore and assess national geothermal resources and to identify promising areas for industrial exploration and development. Directs the Project to initiate a research and development program to resolve technical problems inhibiting commercial utilization of geothermal resources, including: (1) development of effective drilling methods; (2) development of methods for converting geothermal energy to useful forms; and (3) development of improved methods for controlling emissions and wastes from geothermal utilization. Directs the Project to initiate a program to design and construct geothermal demonstration plants, including design and construction of plants to produce electrical power and large scale production and utilization of useful byproducts. Title II: Loan Guarantees - Authorizes the guarantee of loans by financial institutions for commercial development of geothermal resources. Limits such loan guarantees to 75 percent of the project costs. Requires repayment of such loans in 30 years, and limits such loans for any project to $25,000,000. Authorizes the payment of the interest on such loans by an agency designated by the Project chairman if the borrower is unable to pay the interest and such payment is in the public interest. Establishes the Geothermal Resources Development Fund in the Treasury to carry out the loan guarantee and interest payment provisions of this title. Title III: General Provisions - Requires that activities under this Act shall not endanger persons or the environment. Requires semi-annual reports to the President and Congress on the progress of activities under this Act. Provides for the transfer of functions of the Project upon the establishment of a permanent Federal energy agency. Authorizes the appropriation of $2,500,000 to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration for fiscal year 1975 for research, development, and related activities, funded by it under this Act. Authorizes the appropriation of $50,000,000 each year to carry out the loan guarantee provisions of title II.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in House" stage on June 5, 1974. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on June 5, 1974: Referred to House Committee on Science and Astronautics.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the House
- Passage by the Senate
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 93rd Congress (1973-74), 651 of the 23,396 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 2.8 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
MIKE MCCORMACK (D-WA) introduced it on June 5, 1974, and 11 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They come from both major parties: 6 Democrats, 5 Republicans.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on June 5, 1974, 19090 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 19090 days ago, on June 5, 1974.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 93rd Congress has not finished by January 3, 1975 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- HouseIn committee, no floor vote yet
- SenateAwaits House passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers