States and Feds Join Forces to Unclog Geothermal Power

Announced December 18, 2025, a federal-state alliance aligns policies to cut delays, lower risk, and expand geothermal nationwide

13 Jan 2026

On December 18th America’s energy officials did something unusual. They agreed to make it easier to dig holes. The Department of Energy and a group of states announced the Geothermal Power Accelerator, a quiet attempt to rescue one of the country’s oldest clean energy sources from regulatory neglect.

Geothermal power is reliable, low carbon and dull. It produces electricity around the clock, without waiting for sun or wind. Yet it supplies less than 1% of America’s power, mostly in a handful of western states. The technology works. The politics and paperwork do not. Permits are slow, rules differ by state and investors dislike uncertainty underground as much as above it.

The new alliance, led by the Department of Energy’s Geothermal Technologies Office with the National Association of State Energy Officials, brings together energy offices from 13 states. Its aim is not grand subsidies or flashy targets, but coordination. By aligning state policies with federal priorities, the group hopes to shorten permitting times, lower financial risk and make geothermal a routine option rather than an oddity.

The focus is deliberately practical. Participating states will share experience on permitting, land use planning and community engagement. Those new to geothermal can learn from veterans such as Nevada and California. The programme also pushes for better mapping of geothermal resources and for the technology to be included more clearly in long term energy plans, alongside solar and wind.

“This is about reducing uncertainty,” a Department of Energy representative said at the launch. “When developers know the rules and timelines, projects move faster and capital follows.” That matters as electricity demand rises, driven by data centres, electric vehicles and a desire for sturdier grids. Unlike weather dependent renewables, geothermal offers steady power, which makes it attractive to planners worried about reliability.

The effort reflects a broader truth about clean energy in America. Many bottlenecks are procedural rather than technical. Fragmented state rules can turn a drill bit into a gamble. Aligning them will not remove all obstacles. Local opposition, water concerns and long approval processes remain, especially outside the west.

Still, by signalling durable support and smoothing policy pathways, the accelerator could help geothermal escape its niche. If it succeeds, America may find that one of its most dependable clean energy sources was held back less by geology than by governance.