On the recordFebruary 16, 2012
I thank my colleague from Idaho. I rise in strong support of this amendment. It would streamline the geothermal exploration process to expedite the development of geothermal energy on Federal lands. Being from Colorado, I know well the potential for geothermal energy development. In fact, just last year, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, NREL, teamed up with IKEA to build the first IKEA store in the United States that is partially powered by geothermal energy. As our Nation heads down the path of energy security, we should be facilitating the development of renewable energy on Federal land. This is a good amendment that could potentially shave years off the process of geothermal energy exploration and contribute to our increasing domestic energy portfolio in the United States. I urge your support of the Labrador amendment.
