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ClearPath Action Rundown 
October 3rd, 2025

Happy Friday!

1. Fmr. Dep. Chief of Staff & LD for Rep. Carol Miller (R-WV) joins ClearPath

Emily Henn will be an educational resource for Members and staff in the House of Representatives who are working to develop and advance innovative energy policies. 

Before joining ClearPath, Henn served as Rep. Carol Miller’s (R-WV) Deputy Chief of Staff and Legislative Director, advising on tax, energy and appropriations, working on a wide array of issues, including:

• Energy and manufacturing tax incentives;
• Selling American energy globally; and 
• Smart policies to address carbon and methane emissions.

Welcome, Emily!

2. Washington Times: Energy dominance means building more domestically, selling more globally

The United States faces a dual threat: meeting domestic demand for energy and competing for global market share. China has been quietly reshaping the global energy landscape, exponentially building more on its soil, and outspending the U.S. nearly ten-to-one in overseas energy finance. ClearPath CEO Jeremy Harrell outlines policy solutions to compete in a Washington Times op-ed. 

ClearPath released a new, first-of-its-kind report, Energy Financing Power: America vs. China - A Case Study in Brazil. ClearPath’s report analyzes China’s predatory strategies and explores opportunities for U.S. policy and innovation, using Brazil as a case study.

This report reveals:

• Globally, China’s public investment in energy projects is $446 billion since 2015, while the U.S. stands at just $45 billion;
• China outpaces the U.S. by more than 100x ($60 billion compared to $472 million) in public energy finance in Brazil; 
• Official Chinese entities own at least 12% of Brazil’s power system, as well as significant shares in mining and upstream oil and gas; and 
• Predatory lending from the Chinese policy banks discourages market competition to the detriment of U.S. firms, while threatening to isolate Brazil. 

Plug in: Check out Jeremy Harrell’s op-ed in the Washington Times’ special issue alongside Sen. Daines (R-MT)... Reps. Guthrie (R-KY)... Latta (R-OH)... Balderson (R-OH)... Pfluger (R-TX)... Miller (R-WV)... Weber (R-TX)... Bacon (R-NE)... Evans (R-CO)... James (R-MI)... Hurd (R-CO)... Kiggans (R-VA)... and Lawler (R-NY).

3. Cutting red tape for geothermal

Two new House bills would further streamline permitting for geothermal energy projects and unlock new opportunities for 24/7, zero-emissions baseload power.

The HEATS Act, led by Reps. Young Kim (R-CA) and Adam Gray (D-CA):

• Allows developers to provide a state drilling permit in lieu of a federal permit when the federal government owns less than 50% of the subsurface geothermal estate; 
• Defines these projects as non-major federal actions, exempting them from NEPA requirements for an environmental impact statement; and
• Passed the House in the 118th Congress with bipartisan support.

Rep. Fulcher (R-ID) also has a bill directing the Secretary of the Interior to:

• Designate geothermal leasing priority areas on federal lands in consultation with the Secretary of Energy; 
• Streamline permitting requirements prior to geothermal leasing through reliance on programmatic environmental reviews, rather than an individual EIS for each parcel; and
• Prepare a supplement to environmental impact statements on geothermal leasing priority areas.

What’s clear: Building on the growing momentum for geothermal energy, both bills are key steps toward unleashing America’s full geothermal potential. It’s estimated that 90% of discoverable geothermal resources are located on federal lands and are subject to both state and federal environmental review processes that slow development and increase costs. Analysis from DOE projects upwards of 90 GW of geothermal electricity-generating capacity by 2050, up from 3.7 GW today. 

Plug in: Read ClearPath Action’s full summary of H.R. 5587 and H.R. 5576.

4. The National Interest: The Race to Scale Global Nuclear Energy

The U.S. must massively expand nuclear energy to meet soaring demand and counter China and Russia’s export dominance.

How do we get there?

• Launch a new reactor build-out at a scale never before seen in the United States;
• Focus public and private resources to ensure companies have the tools to scale;
• Enhance strategic international partnerships that leverage allies’ strengths; and
• Use the available resources, such as the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) and the Export-Import Bank (EXIM), which can help de-risk projects so companies can attract private capital and compete.

What’s clear: The U.S. risks losing the nuclear race without stronger financing support and coordination. American private sector innovation is the key to energy dominance.

Plug in: Read more about how Agencies like DFC and EXIM can be used to de-risk projects, streamline export support and deepen partnerships abroad in Niko McMurray’s National Interest opinion piece.

5. Congress on Bioenergy Carbon Capture and Storage 

Reps. Blake Moore (R-UT) and Jim Costa (D-CA) introduced bipartisan, innovative legislation bolstering the deployment of Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) technology in the U.S. 

The BECCS Advancement Commission Act of 2025:

• Establishes a commission of industry and policymakers at the Departments of Agriculture, Energy, and the Interior to submit a report to Congress that provides recommendations, guidance and expertise on the deployment of BECCS projects.

See the science: BECCS is a technology that uses biomass to generate heat, power, or fuel, while capturing the carbon dioxide (CO₂) released in the process. That CO₂ can then be stored underground in secure geological formations or locked into durable products. By creating new offtake markets, BECCS also strengthens the U.S. forestry sector, supports healthy forest management, and helps reduce wildfire risks.

Plug in: Learn more about how American innovation can reduce wildfires and cut emissions on this new blog by Jasmine Yu and Casey Kelly.

6. Mine of the future: Modernizing American mining

The Department of Energy (DOE) launched its Mine of the Future initiative, which aims to modernize U.S. mining practices and strengthen domestic critical mineral supply chains by deploying cutting-edge mining technologies and processes.

The initiative:

• Will expand domestic critical mineral production, reduce reliance on foreign sources, and re-establish U.S. leadership in mining innovation;
• Provides up to $80 million in DOE funding for mining technology that will support and accelerate innovative technology development and commercialization; and
• Provides up to $15 million to support DOE’s National Laboratories to advance research, development, and demonstration projects that bolster U.S. mineral security.

What’s clear: These investments will help deploy next-generation mining technologies, reduce reliance on adversaries for minerals, and strengthen U.S. supply chains for components necessary for energy technologies, defense systems, and household electronics, train a skilled workforce and expand domestic production of the materials powering America’s clean energy future.

Plug in: Learn about the importance of domestic mining for U.S. national security here.

7. In the news: Axios

The Center for Climate & Energy Solutions hosted a webinar on the need for permitting reform now. 

After President Trump's sweeping tax overhaul became law in July, "you heard a lot of folks saying, 'Well, I don't know if we can get past this moment to continue the permitting conversations,'" ClearPath CEO Jeremy Harrell said. Nevertheless, he said, "We saw an influx of [permitting] activity over the last month and a half."

Plug in: Read more from Axios here.

8. ICYMI

• NEI’s 2025 Future of Nuclear Power member survey shows a flurry of actions to extend, uprate and add nuclear generation to meet surging U.S. electricity demand from data centers.
• XGS Energy, a developer of next-generation geothermal power, is now operating its commercial-scale solid-state geothermal system for over 3,000 hours.
• DOE selected four more companies as part of its Advanced Nuclear Fuel Line pilot program to restore America’s nuclear fuel supply chain and expand U.S. nuclear capacity for national security.
• The Bipartisan Policy Center released a report on: The Future of Natural Gas: A Strategic Framework for Reliability, Affordability, Security, and Decarbonization.

9. Outside the Beltway

• Governor Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) discussed the next steps for the state on advanced nuclear power.

ClearPath believes America must lead the world in innovation over regulation…markets over mandates…providing affordable, reliable, clean energy. 

That's all from us. Thanks for reading and have a great weekend!

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