Text of Senate Amendment 6080

On 2026-06-24, Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI) delivered a floor speech titled "Text Of Senate Amendment 6080" in the Senate.

Text of Senate Amendment 6080

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 106 (Wednesday, June 24, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 106 (Wednesday, June 24, 2026)] [Senate] [Pages S3290-S3292] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] SA 6080. Mr. SCHATZ (for himself, Mr. McCormick, Mr. Curtis, and Mr. Coons) submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by him to the bill S. 4784, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2027 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows: At the end of title XII, add the following: Subtitle F--Pacific Promotion of Workable Energy Resources Act SEC. 1281. SHORT TITLE. This subtitle may be cited as the ``Pacific Promotion of Workable Energy Resources Act'' or the ``Pacific POWER Act''. SEC. 1282. DEFINITIONS. In this subtitle: (1) Appropriate committees of congress.--The term ``appropriate committees of Congress'' means-- (A) the Committee on Foreign Relations, the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, and the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate; and (B) the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives. (2) Direct use.--The term ``direct use'' has the meaning given the term in section 616A of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (42 U.S.C. 17195a(b)). (3) Geothermal partners.--The term ``geothermal partners'' means the United States allies and partners selected pursuant to section 1285. (4) Next-generation geothermal.--The term ``next-generation geothermal'' means a geothermal power production technology that has the potential to greatly expand the scale and geographical range of geothermal power production, including-- (A) enhanced geothermal systems, as defined in section 612 of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (42 U.S.C. 17191); (B) closed-loop geothermal systems, meaning systems that use one or more wells drilled into hot rock with fluid circulating through a closed-loop system to bring heat to the surface; (C) geothermal systems which harness heat from supercritical temperatures, meaning at or above 375 degrees; and (D) other innovative geothermal power technologies. (5) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of State. SEC. 1283. SENSE OF CONGRESS. It is the sense of Congress that-- (1) the Indo-Pacific is critical to United States national security and economic interests, particularly given the rise of the People's Republic of China as a competitor, and has some of the world's highest geothermal potential; (2) achieving United States foreign and national security policy objectives, including deterring conflict and reducing vulnerability to coercion, requires further strengthening relationships with key regional allies and partners; (3) the United States should expand its engagement with key allies and partners on geothermal, including through commercial partnerships and technical assistance to support the development of their geothermal capabilities to reduce reliance on the energy exports of adversaries and to develop markets for United States companies; and (4) the United States should promote the pursuit of bilateral memoranda of understanding or other appropriate agreements on [[Page S3291]] geothermal energy with key allies and partners, where doing so furthers United States foreign policy and national security interests. SEC. 1284. GEOTHERMAL DIPLOMACY. (a) In General.--The Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of Energy, shall work both bilaterally and multilaterally to advance geothermal energy in support of United States interests, including to develop-- (1) goals to increase geothermal deployment, including for electricity and direct use applications; (2) forums for collective learning and research; (3) risk-sharing and financial tools for geothermal exploration and development; (4) potential regulatory and power market reforms that support geothermal power production, direct use applications, and grid interconnection; (5) technical, environmental, safety, and community engagement standards and best practices, including-- (A) early and consistent community engagement, including the free, prior, and informed consent of Indigenous Peoples and other communities; (B) revenue sharing to create local economic benefits; (C) reservoir management; (D) mitigation of seismic risk through real-time monitoring, operational guardrails, and engagement with impacted communities; (E) mitigation of impacts to water resources; and (F) standardized, transparent, and secure mechanisms for sharing geological and project-related data. (b) Indo-Pacific Engagement.--The Secretary shall prioritize engaging with allies and partners in the Indo- Pacific on opportunities to collaborate on geothermal energy and as potential geothermal partners to be selected pursuant to section 1285, including-- (1) Taiwan; (2) the Philippines; (3) Japan; (4) Australia; (5) Indonesia; (6) India; (7) New Zealand; (8) Papua New Guinea; and (9) Thailand. (c) Multilateral Mechanisms.--The Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of Energy, shall use existing multilateral mechanisms to advance cooperation on geothermal energy, including-- (1) the Quadrilateral Dialogue, or ``Quad,'' comprising the United States, Australia, India, and Japan; (2) the United States-Japan-Philippines trilateral dialogue; (3) the United States-Japan-Republic of Korea trilateral dialogue; (4) United States-Association of Southeast Asian Nations dialogues and energy engagements; (5) the Pacific Community, the principal scientific and technical organization in the Pacific region; (6) the International Energy Agency; and (7) the Group of Seven, comprising the United States, France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, Italy, and Canada. SEC. 1285. ESTABLISHMENT OF INTERNATIONAL GEOTHERMAL PROGRAM AND COUNTRY SELECTION. (a) Assessment.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary, in coordination with the Secretary of Energy, shall develop and submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report that-- (1) assesses global geothermal resources, including mapping the areas of highest potential for geothermal development based on factors, such as-- (A) existing geothermal generation; (B) subsurface data; (C) proximity of geothermal resources to existing or potential energy infrastructure; (D) regulatory and economic conditions, including financial incentives for geothermal; (E) current and projected energy mix and demand; (F) workforce; (G) supply chains, including the distribution of assets relative to projected demand; and (H) energy reliability conditions; (2) assesses countries, regions, and other locations in which geothermal development or expansion is most beneficial to United States national security and economic interests, including in support of United States Indo-Pacific strategy; (3) explains the strategy for addressing the challenges to geothermal energy development or expansion in the countries, regions, and other locations most beneficial to United States national security and economic interests; and (4) assesses the extent to which foreign countries of concern, as defined in section 4872(d) of title 10, United States Code, are involved in, or may seek to influence or control, the geothermal energy sectors, supply chains, infrastructure, financing, or related critical minerals of countries, regions, and other locations identified under paragraphs (1) through (3). (b) Consultation.--In preparing the report required in subsection (a), the Secretary shall consult with-- (1) agencies with relevant expertise; (2) Department of Energy National Laboratories (as defined in section 2 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 15801)); (3) institutions of higher education (as defined in section 101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (2 U.S.C. 1001(a)); (4) nonpartisan and nonprofit organizations; (5) the International Energy Agency; (6) the advisory group established pursuant to subsection (g); and (7) the appropriate committees of Congress. (c) Establishment.--Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary, in coordination with the Secretary of Energy, shall establish the International Geothermal Program (the ``Program'') for international collaboration on geothermal exploration and development to carry out section 1284 and to pursue bilateral and multilateral partnerships as described in subsection (d) to further United States foreign policy and national security interests. (d) Program.--The Program established pursuant to subsection (c) shall include public-private partnerships for the exploration and development of geothermal resources and next-generation geothermal systems, including-- (1) to support large-scale geothermal deployment, including for next-generation geothermal technologies and direct use applications; (2) to conduct research of next-generation geothermal technologies, including through coordination with existing international research initiatives; (3) to conduct geothermal resource exploration and characterization; (4) to support the integration of geothermal energy into energy system planning and regulations; (5) to identify opportunity zones where geothermal could meet industrial, heating and cooling, agricultural, and electricity needs; (6) to support the workforce and supply chains necessary for geothermal deployment; (7) to support community engagement and education; (8) to assist in the development and implementation of risk-sharing mechanisms and other financial tools for the cost of geothermal exploration and development; (9) to assist in the development of predictable siting and permitting processes for partn