GAO Report Cited Barriers for Geothermal Developers
The lack of digital tracking and manuals forces developers to navigate a complex, opaque permitting process on public lands.
Updated on Oct. 9, 2026 in Utilities
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A new Government Accountability Office report identifies significant gaps in the federal geothermal permitting process, leaving developers without the online tracking systems or standardized handbooks provided to oil and gas firms. The findings highlight how current procedural inconsistencies hinder growth for businesses seeking to operate on public lands.
Why it matters
Operators face unpredictable timelines and a lack of transparency because the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) does not provide a digital platform for permit submissions or status updates. This administrative hurdle complicates capital allocation and project planning for geothermal energy providers.
Federal geothermal nominations grew roughly fortyfold between 2020 and 2025, reaching over one million acres. It remains unknown when the BLM will finalize its draft handbooks or restore digital permit tracking capabilities.
The players
Government Accountability Office
The federal agency tasked with providing auditing and investigative services to Congress to ensure transparency.
Bureau of Land Management
The federal agency responsible for managing the use and development of public lands across the United States.
The details
While oil and gas companies leverage dedicated online systems for filing and monitoring applications, geothermal developers are currently forced to submit permits in writing without any tracking mechanism. The BLM shut down its geothermal tracking system in 2021 and has withheld draft handbooks from publication since 2022. This manual process contributes to inconsistent permitting decisions and a significant transparency deficit for industry operators.
Timeline
2020: Geothermal development nominations totaled approximately 25,000 acres.
2021: The BLM shut down the geothermal permit tracking system.
2022: BLM draft geothermal handbooks have remained unpublished since this year.
2025: Geothermal development nominations exceeded one million acres.
June 2026: The House passed the Geothermal Energy Advancement Act.
Market Landscape
The GAO report highlights the operational friction that the Geothermal Energy Advancement Act seeks to address by standardizing federal energy permitting. This investigation confirms that current administrative bottlenecks serve as the primary constraint on scaling geothermal capacity on federal lands.
Developers should account for significantly longer lead times when budgeting for public land projects until the BLM digitizes its workflow. Firms should monitor the status of the Geothermal Energy Advancement Act as a signal for potential legislative mandates that could force faster agency compliance.
The takeaway
The lack of digital standardization for geothermal permits creates an unnecessary administrative tax on energy developers compared to their oil and gas counterparts. Operators should watch for forthcoming BLM administrative updates that might finally replace outdated paper-based filing requirements.
Further reading
For more on the current regulatory environment, see the latest updates in Utilities.
More information
View the GAO geothermal permitting report for the full breakdown of findings.
Source note: This article includes information reported by YubaNet.
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