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Pennsylvania House committee clears Arvind Venkat’s geothermal bill
Venkat’s bipartisan House Bill 2076 earned approval with a 15-11 vote.
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Jeffin T. Kaleekal - Tue, 14, Apr 2026
- 02:59 EDT
- 30
Arvind Venkat / Wikimedia commons
The Pennsylvania House Energy Committee has cleared Pennsylvania State Representative Arvind Venkat’s bill on geothermal energy with bipartisan support.
Venkat had previously introduced a bill aimed at creating a regulatory framework for geothermal development, including permitting rules and the reuse of abandoned oil and gas wells across the state.
Venkat’s House Bill 2076, a bill he co-sponsored with Republican Rep. Craig Williams, earned bipartisan approval with a vote of 15-11.
Venkat backed his bill at the committee hearing and said, “We all agree that we need more energy production in Pennsylvania. Geothermal energy is a new and important way to add clean, baseload energy to our grid.”
ALSO READ: Pennsylvania court rules Arvind Venkat’s rival ineligible in race
Expressing gratitude to the committee, he added, “Thank you to Chair Fiedler (committee Chair Rep. Elizabeth Fiedler) and bipartisan members of the House Energy Committee for approving H.B. 2076, my legislation with Rep. Williams, to provide a framework for developing geothermal energy in our commonwealth.”
Talking about the bill at a Blue-Green Caucus press conference, Venkat noted, “By every indication, with next-generation geothermal technologies, we can meet the heating and cooling needs of Pennsylvania, as well as develop new electricity sources simply from the geology that we have in Pennsylvania, a clean, constantly on, baseload energy source.”
The bill establishes a regulatory framework for geothermal resource production, which could supply millions of homes and businesses with locally sourced, endlessly renewable energy.
Highlighting what his bill seeks to bring about, Venkat noted, “House Bill 2076 is trying to do three simple things.”
The bill’s first goal is to make sure that “property rights related to geothermal energy are recognized in the state.”
Additionally, it also seeks to “repurpose abandoned oil and gas wells,” which can be used to develop energy and produce energy through geothermal technologies.
Lastly, Venkat seeks a responsible and predictable regulatory framework for developing geothermal energy.
He concluded by noting, “This partnership between labor and the building trades and our union brothers and sisters, as well as the environmental groups, is a way forward for all of us in our commonwealth.”
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