The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee voted unanimously, 7-0, to recommend a due pass for Senate Bill 2360, a bill that would send a geothermal energy study to Legislative Management for possible interim study funding and scope. Senator Gearhart moved the due-pass motion and Senator Behn seconded; Senator Gerhardt volunteered to carry the bill.

Committee members debated what a legislative-managed study would accomplish and whether the Energy and Environmental Research Center (EERC) already performs similar work. Chairman Patton and others said the EERC has capacity and recommended lawmakers visit the facility. "The EERC has funding from several different sources...they have the capacity to to define or, a study in the components of it that would be of value," Chairman Patton said.

Discussion identified several possible study components: feasibility of using depleted oil wells for geothermal, required infrastructure, economics and private capital attraction, and market opportunities such as co-produced lithium from geothermal brines. Senator Van Wisting noted the "possibility of lithium co production from geothermal brines," and supporters described geothermal as a carbon-free baseload resource: "Geothermal is considered baseload, that has no carbon footprint," a committee member said.

The committee adopted a due-pass recommendation (7 ayes, 0 nays). Members referenced past EERC studies — including a lignite plant study — as precedent for legislative studies that analyze regulatory, financial and technical issues. The due-pass recommendation moves the study measure to Legislative Management, which will decide whether to include it among interim studies and allocate resources.

Senator Gerhardt agreed to carry the bill; committee members described the vote as an early step to examine geothermal viability, economics and potential industry opportunities in the state.