,,ii #aaith ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 #dchc ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,april #bc 7legislative day1 ,april #bb71 #bjbf,ms4 ,cortez ,masto 7for herself and ,mr4 ,risch7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,energy and ,natural ,resources ,a ,,bill ,to appoint a ,geothermal ,ombudsman and establish a ,geothermal ,permitting ,task ,force from within the ,bureau of ,land ,management1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,geothermal ,ombudsman for ,national ,deployment and ,optimal ,reviews ,act4 #b4 ,geothermal ombudsman and permitting task force 7a7 ,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7 ,geothermal authorization ,the term geothermal authorization means any license1 permit1 approval1 finding1 determination1 or other administrative decision issued by the ,bureau of ,land ,management and any interagency consultation that is required or authorized under ,federal law in order to site1 construct1 reconstruct1 or commence operations of a geothermal energy project administered by the ,bureau of ,land ,management4 7#b7 ,geothermal energy project ,the term geothermal energy project means a project wholly or partially located on public land that uses geothermal energy to generate heat or electricity4 7#c7 ,public ,land ,the term public land means lands subject to geothermal leasing under section #c of the ,geothermal ,steam ,act of #aigj 7#cj ,u4,s4,c4 #ajjb74 7#d7 ,secretary ,the term ,secretary means the ,secretary of the ,interior4 7#e7 ,task force ,the term ,task ,force means the ,geothermal ,permitting ,task ,force established under subsection 7c74 7b7 ,geothermal ombudsman 7#a7 ,in general ,not later than #fj days after the date of enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary shall appoint from within the ,bureau of ,land ,management a ,geothermal ,ombudsman4 7#b7 ,duties ,the ,geothermal ,ombudsman appointed under paragraph 7#a7 shall-- 7,a7 act as a liaison between-- 7i7 the individual field1 district1 and ,state offices of the ,bureau of ,land ,management2 7ii7 the ,division ,chief of the ,national ,renewable ,energy ,coordination ,office of the ,bureau of ,land ,management2 and 7iii7 the ,director of the ,bureau of ,land ,management2 7,b7 provide dispute resolution services between the individual field1 district1 and ,state offices of the ,bureau of ,land ,management and applicants for geothermal authorizations2 7,c7 monitor and facilitate permit processing practices and timelines across individual field offices of the ,bureau of ,land ,management2 7,d7 develop best practices for the permitting and leasing process for geothermal resources2 and 7,e7 coordinate with the ,federal ,permitting ,improvement ,steering ,council4 7c7 ,geothermal permitting task force 7#a7 ,establishment ,not later than #fj days after the date of enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary shall establish within the ,bureau of ,land ,management a ,geothermal ,permitting ,task ,force4 7#b7 ,leadership ,the ,task ,force shall be headed by the ,geothermal ,ombudsman appointed under subsection 7b74 7#c7 ,permitting support ,the ,task ,force shall support the duties of the ,geothermal ,ombudsman appointed under subsection 7b74 7#d7 ,cross-office personnel assignments 7,a7 ,in general ,in their capacity as head of the ,task ,force1 the ,geothermal ,ombudsman may coordinate with any ,departmental bureau or office to assign personnel with relevant expertise to assist with completion of geothermal authorizations in field1 district1 or ,state offices other than the official duty station where such personnel are located if-- 7i7 the ,departmental bureau or office determines that such assignment will not materially delay ongoing completion of authorizations within the office where the employee is located2 and 7ii7 approval is received from the head of the official duty station where the assigned employee is located4 7,b7 ,assigned personnel requirements ,department personnel assigned to assist with completion of geothermal authorizations under subparagraph 7,a7 shall-- 7i7 work in-person full-time at an official ,department office2 7ii7 if necessary as determined by the ,geothermal ,ombudsman1 travel to the ,bureau of ,land ,management field1 district1 or ,state office with jurisdiction over the geothermal authorization to which the employee has been assigned by the ,geothermal ,ombudsman2 7iii7 participate as part of the team of personnel working on geothermal authorizations to which the employee has been assigned by the ,geothermal ,ombudsman2 and 7iv7 regularly report to the head of the field1 district1 or ,state office of the ,bureau of ,land ,management with jurisdiction over geothermal authorizations to which the employee has been assigned by the ,geothermal ,ombudsman4 7,c7 ,retention allowances 7i7 ,in general ,subject to the availability of appropriations1 the ,geothermal ,ombudsman may pay a retention allowance to an employee assigned to assist with the completion of geothermal authorizations under subparagraph 7,a74 ,retention allowances-- 7,i7 shall be stated as the percentage of the rate of basic pay of an employee1 and may not exceed #be percent of such rate of basic pay2 7,,ii7 may not be considered to be part of the basic pay of an employee1 and the reduction or elimination of a retention allowance may not be appealed2 and 7,,iii7 shall be paid at the same time and in the same manner as the employee's basic pay is paid4 7ii7 ,considerations ,in exercising the retention allowance authority described in clause 7i71 the ,geothermal ,ombudsman shall consider-- 7,i7 an employee's specialized expertise related to geothermal authorizations2 7,,ii7 the demonstrated need to retain an employee to meet the performance improvement objectives for geothermal authorization timelines and develop best practices for completion of geothermal authorizations2 and 7,,iii7 the difficulty in recruiting or replacing qualified personnel with relevant expertise related to geothermal authorizations4 7,d7 ,savings clause ,cross-office personnel assignments carried out under this paragraph shall not alter the underlying jurisdiction of other offices of the ,bureau of ,land ,management over applicable geothermal authorizations4 7d7 ,report ,the ,geothermal ,ombudsman shall submit to the ,committee on ,energy and ,natural ,resources of the ,senate and the ,committee on ,natural ,resources of the ,house of ,representatives an annual report that describes the activities of the ,task ,force and evaluates the effectiveness of geothermal permit processing during the preceding #a-year period4