Russ Fulcher: “This bill, the Enhancing Geothermal and Federal Lands Act, exempts geothermal exploration wells from NEPA review.”

I do not. That’s not it.

The reason for the lack of support has been because about 85% of the +/- $1.5 trillion in spending has been ear-marked for the SNAP (food-stamps) program.

I’m proud to sign on to this legislation to protect the privacy rights of Idahoans from increasingly intrusive surveillance data collection and to prohibit the widespread deployment of such surveillance tools with federal dollars.

However, the lack of consistent geothermal lease sales and the slow federal permitting process result in timelines longer than many other energy projects.