The Republican Recap: Week of November 11, 2024
Unleashing American Geothermal Energy Production ✅
Geothermal energy is a clean, renewable energy source that provides efficient and dependable power for long periods of time, making it a great resource for the United States to diversify our energy supply and restore our energy independence.
Currently, however, burdensome regulations are restricting American geothermal production on non-federal lands by requiring geothermal operators producing even minuscule amounts of federal resources to adhere to all federal laws and permitting processes. This includes the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), which requires several lengthy review stages for geothermal permitting, holding up production for years and preventing geothermal operators from efficiently producing clean energy that can be used to generate electricity, heat American homes, and power industrial processes.
We should be promoting geothermal energy production, not placing administrative hurdles in its way. House Republicans passed legislation to unleash geothermal energy and streamline its production by cutting permitting red-tape, promoting American energy independence and lowering costs for hardworking Americans.
H.R. 7409, the Harnessing Energy At Thermal Sources Act, introduced by Rep. Young Kim, expedites geothermal energy production by exempting geothermal operators from federal drilling permit requirements, including NEPA, for wells on non-federal land where the United States holds an ownership interest of less than 50 percent of the subsurface geothermal estate.
“By expanding our energy supply with clean sources like geothermal energy, we not only promote American energy independence but also lower energy costs, protect our national security, and reduce emissions,” said Rep. Young Kim. “I thank my colleagues for supporting the bipartisan HEATS Act to support our economy, security, and environment.”
What Members Said:
“This bill will assist working families, small businesses and the geothermal energy producers, streamlining the permit process so that one of the cheapest and cleanest energy sources [...] in the United States is prioritized and supported by the federal government,” said Rep. John Duarte. “During a Natural Resources hearing earlier this year, I asked federal regulators what We the People gain by requiring a federal permitting process on geothermal energy – one of the cleanest, cheapest energy sources in the world. There was no coherent answer. Instead of restricting geothermal energy, we should be supporting and encouraging advancements in this field.”
Cutting the Confusion Between Critical Minerals and Critical Materials ✅
The Energy Act of 2020 defines critical minerals as minerals designated by the Secretary of the Interior through the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to be critical, and requires the USGS to keep a critical minerals list (CML). Meanwhile, the Energy Act of 2020 defines critical materials as non-fuel minerals, elements, substances, or materials that play a vital role in one or more energy technologies and have a high risk or supply chain disruption, and instructs the Department of Energy (DOE) to develop a critical materials list that includes the critical minerals on the USGS CML.
The differences between the DOE’s more inclusive critical materials list and the USGS CML goes beyond just the names – the USGS CML is eligible for more extensive energy-focused benefits than the DOE’s critical materials, including various clean energy tax credits, financing support, and Fast-41 Permitting Dashboard access. This means the critical materials on the DOE list that do not appear on the USGS CML, such as copper, electrical steel, fluorine, silicon, and silicon carbide, are disadvantaged.
House Republicans passed legislation to eliminate the confusion between the DOE and USGS lists and ensure the same benefits are given to both Critical Materials and Critical Minerals, supporting U.S. self-reliance for critical minerals and materials. Critical minerals and critical materials are both essential to the United States’ national and energy security, and we should be prioritizing them equally to bolster our country’s supply chain and ensure consistency and clarity in U.S. mining.
Rep. Juan Ciscomani’s legislation, H.R. 8446, the Critical Mineral Consistency Act of 2024, amends the Energy Act of 2020 to ensure all critical materials from the DOE’s critical materials list are included in the USGS CML, just as the critical minerals on the USGS CML are included in the DOE’s critical materials list.
“Critical Minerals are essential for our economy, national security, and clean energy technologies. As demand for these strategic resources continues to increase, the United States must ensure access to a reliable supply. My legislation, the Critical Mineral Consistency Act, will ensure parity between U.S. Geological Survey critical minerals and Department of Energy materials lists to strengthen our domestic supply chain and include copper, electrical steel, silicon, and silicon carbide on the critical minerals list, a long overdue classification. I am proud to see my legislation pass out of the House of Representatives and look forward to its consideration in the Senate,” said Rep. Juan Ciscomani.
What Members Said:
“This measure is an essential step forward to secure our supply chains, and in so doing, to protect our national security and economic competitiveness. Today, critical minerals like lithium, cobalt, and graphite are the building blocks of everything from advanced weapon systems to consumer electronics. Every advanced economy depends on these resources, but the challenge we face is that these minerals are limited supply and overwhelmingly sourced from China. Our dependence on the Chinese Communist Party for these materials puts our energy independence, technological leadership and national security at risk,” said Rep. Rob Wittman. “This bill is simple but a significant step forward to streamline interagency coordination, improve efficiency, and ensure the federal efforts to stockpile, recycle, and develop alternative supplies from these minerals are focused on the same priorities. We must ensure that our nation has the resources it needs to remain a global leader in defense, energy, and innovation.”
Keeping FAFSA On Schedule for Students, Families, and Schools ✅
FAFSA, or the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, aims to increase accessibility and affordability of postsecondary education for students. These students must complete the FAFSA to access federal student aid programs like Pell grants and federal student loans. The FAFSA is supposed to be available to students on October 1st of each year, however it is not required to be available until January 1st. Typically, the Education Department has released the FAFSA on October 1st, giving students, families, and schools time to prepare and plan.
In 2020, Congress passed the FAFSA Simplification Act to streamline the FAFSA process and extended the deadline for its implementation with the understanding the Education Department would release it October 2023 – that, however, was not the case. Under the Biden-Harris Administration, the Education Department missed the October 1st deadline and delayed the form’s release for months. When the application was finally released, it was full of errors and glitches. After completion, processing was also delayed for months and contained calculation errors. Now, the Education Department says the FAFSA release will be delayed for the second year in a row.
It’s not fair to hardworking students and their families or the schools looking to plan for the academic year for the Education Department to continue to delay, confuse, and complicate the FAFSA process – almost always to the detriment of interested students. By making this process more difficult for hardworking students, the Education Department is destroying the purpose of FAFSA.
H.R. 8932, the FAFSA Deadline Act, introduced by Rep. Erin Houchin, removes the flexibility in the deadline for the Education Department to release FAFSA applications by making October 1st the hard deadline for release and ends the confusion for students, families, and schools.
“The passage of the FAFSA Deadline Act is a win for students and families across the nation. By establishing clear and consistent deadlines, this legislation will make it easier for students to access the financial aid they need to pursue higher education. I’m proud of the near-unanimous, bipartisan support for this bill and remain committed to breaking down barriers and making the pathway to college more accessible for all,” said Rep. Erin Houchin.
What Members Said:
“The Biden-Harris Administration's execution of the new simplified FAFSA has led to widespread frustration, delays, and costly errors. Imagine being a high school senior working hard to qualify for scholarships and planning your future only to be met with glitches, incomplete forms, and endless processing errors. That was the reality for too many students. Last year, the Department of Education delayed the FAFSA release until late December – three, four months after its recommended October 1 release date – due to administrative incompetence. The soft launch that followed was chaotic, resulting in millions of errors and little clarity regarding the forms actual functionality,” said Chairwoman Virginia Foxx. “As we sit here, the FAFSA is delayed for a second straight year, and some capabilities are still unavailable, forcing students, schools and state agencies to wait again. The FAFSA Deadline Act, introduced by Representative Erin Houchin, is the answer. This legislation seeks to hold the Department of Education accountable by requiring the FAFSA to be available by October 1 each year, and it does so with broad bipartisan support..”
Distribution channels: U.S. Politics
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