The Committee heard testimony on House Bill 2076 (Venkat-D-Allegheny, Williams-R-Chester), bipartisan legislation that would establish a regulatory framework for the generation of geothermal resources in the state.
Testimony was presented by--
-- Seth Pelepko, DEP Deputy Secretary for Oil and Gas
-- John Walliser, Senior Vice President, PA Environmental Council
-- Benjamin Sebree, Attorney, The Sebree Law Firm; formerly with theTexas Oil and Gas Association
Click Here for written testimony, comments received by the Committee.
Click Here for a video of the hearing.
Prime sponsor Rep. Arvind Venkat (D-Allegheny) said-- “I think we're all in agreement that we need to bring more energy sources onto our grid and geothermal is a win-win opportunity for us.
“It is an always on clean energy source that can meet much of the heating and cooling demands in the state, as well as some degree of energy production, given our geology.
“With next generation technologies that we've learned about, this is an opportunity for us to come together on a bipartisan basis to generate more energy for our fellow Pennsylvanians.”
“I think the most important issue with the legislation is that it recognizes property rights related to geothermal energy. It sets up a predictable regulatory framework so that the market can develop these energy sources.
“And it allows a structure for using our abandoned oil and gas wells in order to generate energy for this purpose.”
“Partnering with Representative Williams and Chair Fiedler on this legislation.”
Prime sponsor Rep. Craig Williams (R-Chester) said-- “Madam Chair, you and Chairman Causer are doing a splendid job of setting up a number of these hearings so that we can have this open debate before we actually get to the legislative process. I think it's been entirely constructive.
“We are on the precipice. We're actually already there in terms of our need for additional generation in the state of Pennsylvania as hyperscale data centers are now our new reality.
“And that new reality is already being priced into our energy market by way of the capacity market.
“So there's no time to lose in developing new electricity generation in Pennsylvania by any reasonable source.
“I'm in the Southeast. I think there's a retail component of making use of geothermal that makes sense for us.
“In the West, it makes sense to start thinking about this at utility scale. There are end to end benefits of making use of geothermal.”
Background
Pennsylvania is now overreliant on one fuel-- natural gas-- to power 60% of the electric generation in the state.
The price of that fuel, as we’ve seen again and again, is determined in foreign energy markets and is subject to the whims of war and political decisions here and in other countries causing price spikes that can devastate household budgets and impose billions of dollars in costs on our businesses and industry.
In contrast, geothermal energy is endlessly renewable, locally sourced and controlled, and far less impactful to the natural environment than other energy resources.
A May 2025 report by Penn State University-- The Future of Geothermal In Pennsylvania-- found geothermal energy could generate enough energy to meet 100% of our electricity, heating and low-to-medium temperature industrial process needs in as few as 10 years-- giving Pennnsylvania true energy independence. Read more here.
An August 2025 report by the Joint State Government Commission identified 382 potential sites for geothermal facilities in the state using abandoned mine pools and oil and gas wells to generate geothermal energy. Read more here.
Testimony
Here are some highlights from the testimony presented to the Committee.
John Walliser, Senior Vice President, PA Environmental Council, said--
“As highlighted in recent reports by both the Penn State Center for Energy Law and Policy and the Joint State Government Commission, advances in geothermal development present significant environmental, economic, and energy reliability benefits.
“Geothermal can provide zero-emitting and distributed power for a range of uses – from residential to industrial scale, and perhaps even deliverable electric generation.
“This can enhance grid diversification and resiliency, and help offset the need for new, centralized scale power generation and infrastructure build-out.
“Geothermal also provides skilled workforce opportunities, and holds promise for conversion of waning natural gas wells at risk of being orphaned.
“The same technology and skills required to reach deep gas reserves can be utilized to tap geothermal heat, meaning that Pennsylvania is well positioned to adapt and benefit from this energy opportunity.
“This is most welcome at a time when we face surging electricity demand and need more innovative resources at the table.”
“PEC supports House Bill 2076 because it takes the necessary steps to position our state to succeed in developing geothermal resources while also protecting against any undue environmental or community impacts.
“For Pennsylvania to obtain primacy from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for permitting advanced geothermal wells, the Department of Environmental Protection (Department) will need to demonstrate to EPA that it has sufficient legal authority and agency resources to properly manage its permitting and regulatory program.
“That program must be fully developed and adopted before EPA would grant responsibility for permitting.”
“House Bill 2076 grants the Department the authority it needs to establish permit or management fees, as well as operator financial security requirements, necessary to maintain the integrity of its program.”
“We believe the ability to shift to a periodic fee structure is more appropriate and can help keep any initial costs reasonable, thus encouraging project development.
“A stronger management program and staff complement will also assist in agency responsiveness and more efficient permit reviews.
“The same holds true for establishing financial assurance requirements. Setting strict limits in legislation precludes adjustment for changes in technology and materials, cost inflation, and other factors.
“At present, average well plugging costs incurred by the Department for improperly abandoned wells far exceed statutorily constrained security amounts placed on operators, leaving the public to bear the shortfall.
“This simply should not happen.
“We have learned a hard lesson from Pennsylvania’s orphaned well legacy to know that the accumulation of sites and costs can escalate quickly. House Bill 2076 helps ensure that won’t happen for geothermal development.”
“House Bill 2076 also takes appropriate steps to ensure that the Department has the ability to set public safety and environmental protection standards while still encouraging geothermal resource production.
“For example, the legislation provides that when hydraulic fracturing is utilized for geothermal development, or in the repurposing of existing wells that involved hydraulic fracturing operations, the Department may set additional protections or performance criteria irrespective of drilling depth.
“This is essential and avoids any unwarranted confusion about characterization of a geothermal well as “conventional” or “unconventional”, where different regulatory standards might normally come into play.
“Focus should be on the technologies and practices used on-site, and House Bill 2076 rightly accomplishes this.
“House Bill 2076 also provides the Department with the option to provide supplementary public engagement in permitting decisions for projects in higher exposure areas.
“This does not alter operational performance requirements; it merely facilitates better transparency – a goal we should aspire to.
“The legislation also provides public input for projects involving our state lands by requiring that any conveyance of geothermal exploration or development rights is subject to notice and opportunity for comment.
“This practice is already required for transfer of public land surface rights and access for other types of activities.
“House Bill 2076 also directs the Department to consider an expedited permitting process for conversion of existing gas wells.
“We support this concept provided well integrity, financial assurance, and other compliance safeguards are set and followed as established in this legislation.
“Our hope is that any conversion will not only help bring more energy resources to the table with minimal impact, but that it will also create an incentive to ensure that end of life wells are properly managed, tested, and ultimately plugged and decommissioned.”
Click Here for PEC written testimony.
Seth Pelepko, DEP Deputy Secretary for Oil and Gas, said DEP submitted a grant application to the US Department of Energy in the fall of 2024 for an Enhanced Geothermal Systems Pilot Project.
The pilot project will convert an underperforming Utica shale gas well into an EGS to generate electricity for the local grid and provide thermal energy for nearby homes and business.
DEP said there has been no decision from DOE on the application, but the application may be “advancing to the next step.”
Pelepko said there are over 10,000 geothermal heat pump installations at homes and businesses in Pennsylvania.
“Establishing regulatory certainty through the introduction of legislation and an associated rulemaking framework is an important precursor for the growth of geothermal energy in the Commonwealth.
“While Pennsylvania currently only has shallow geothermal heat pump systems in operation, temperature measurements from unconventional oil and gas exploration and other deep drilling operations indicate that Pennsylvania has untapped geothermal heat resources that could be used for direct use industrial heating and cooling, and utility scale geothermal electric generation.”
“Analysis has indicated that Pennsylvania is likely among the states in the northeast with the greatest geothermal opportunities—positioning the Commonwealth as a potential future geothermal energy leader in the region.”
“The permitting and resource development processes considered in the proposed legislation are important for standing up a robust exploratory program that can more readily address questions relevant to commercial viability and scale.”
Pelepko pointed out that abandoned mine pools also have the potential to be used for larger district or campus-sized heating and cooling geothermal systems.
“A 2025 report titled “The Future of Geothermal in Pennsylvania”, identified over 380 potential sites near flooded coal mines that could be used to scale up geothermal heat pump networks.
“Existing mine pool systems are known to be in use in Pennsylvania at Marywood University in Dunmore, and several locations in Philadelphia such as Kensington CAPA High School, the German Society of Pennsylvania, and Bartram's Garden.”
“A clear regulatory framework for geothermal energy production is not in place in Pennsylvania.”
“The proposed legislation – importantly – provides clarity with regard to regulatory oversight of this energy development activity and establishes the necessary statutory framework authorizing the Environmental Quality Board (EQB) to promulgate comprehensive regulations. Immediate permitting authority is also granted to DEP during the rulemaking development process.”
Closing Comments
Rep. Elizabeth Fiedler (D-Philadelphia), Major Chair of the Committee, said in closing the hearing-- “I believe that tackling this issue and learning more about new sources, nascent sources of energy is something that we need to do.
“We all know people's bills are going high already and only anticipate they'll go higher. So everything we can do to make our grid more reliable, to keep people's bills down as much as possible, I believe we must do, and that's the work of this Committee.”
Rep. Martin Causer (R-Cameron), Minority Chair of the Committee, said-- “You've certainly given us a lot to think about in this process with this particular legislation.
“And special thanks to you, Mr. Seabree, for traveling up from Texas. It's helpful to hear from a state that already has these operations. So that's very helpful.
“And I also want to thank the prime sponsors of the bill for bringing this forward. It certainly, as I said, gives us a lot to think about.”
Click Here for written testimony, comments received by the Committee.
Click Here for a video of the hearing.
Rep. Elizabeth Fiedler (D-Philadelphia) serves as Majority Chair of the House Energy Committee and can be contacted by calling 215-271-9190 or click here to contact. Rep. Martin Causer (R-Cameron) serves as Minority Chair and can be contacted by calling 717-787-5075 or by sending email to: mcauser@pahousegop.com.
Resource Links - Geothermal Energy:
-- House Energy Committee Hears Testimony On How PA Has Enough Geothermal Energy To Meet 100% Of Pennsylvania’s Electricity, Heating Energy Needs [PaEN]
-- Penn State, Project InnerSpace Report: Leverage Oil & Gas Workers To Generate Enough Geothermal Energy To Meet 100% Of Pennsylvania's Electricity, Heating, Medium Industrial Process Needs [PaEN]
-- Joint State Government Commission Identifies 382 Potential Sites For Geothermal Facilities Using Abandoned Mine Pools; Geothermal Energy Could Reduce A.I. Data Center Energy Demand By 30-40% [PaEN]
-- Guest Essay: Geothermal Might Have The Answer For Pennsylvania's Clean Energy Needs - By John Walliser, PA Environmental Council & Kevin Sunday, McNees Wallace & Nurick [PaEN]
-- Senate DEP Budget Hearing: How Energy Storage Can Add Capacity To The Grid [PaEN]
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-- PA Solar Center, Solar United Neighbors Are Putting Out The Call For Volunteers To Spread The Word For True Energy Independence For Pennsylvania! [PaEN]
-- DEP Invests $1.47 Million+ To Support 12 Local Projects In Five Counties To Buy Alternative Fuel Vehicles, Build Electric Vehicle Charging Stations; Next Rounds Of Applications Due April 1, Oct. 7 [PaEN]
-- PA Community Organizing Summit On A.I. Data Centers April 18 In Pittsburgh [PaEN]
NewsClips:
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-- Technical.ly: PA Turnpike Built Its Own Data Center Powered By A Solar Microgrid With Energy To Spare
[Posted: March 28, 2026] PA Environment Digest
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