Utah, Colorado Governors: Geothermal Energy Unlocks America's Future | Opinion

Published by Newsweek, Sep 23, 2025 at 6:00 AM EDT.

Spencer Cox, Governor of Utah, and Jared Polis, Governor of Colorado, on the vast potential for Geothermal Energy to meet US critical energy needs.

“Today, it is increasingly clear that the United States needs more energy to power our dynamic economy. This is true across industries, from manufacturing to artificial intelligence to the electrification of transportation. In Colorado, Utah, and throughout the West, we have a source of abundant, clean, low-cost energy just beneath our feet—one with vast potential to meet the needs of the future: geothermal energy.

Geothermal energy provides clean, renewable heat and electricity by tapping into the stable temperatures beneath the Earth's surface. It's reliable and efficient, and it reduces demands on the electricity grid, supporting homes and businesses while saving them money on energy bills. The emerging geothermal market is poised to bring on more jobs and cleaner air at lower costs.

Geothermal development is a strong economic driver. Many skills used in the oil and gas industries—from drilling deep wells to deploying district heating—translate seamlessly into this generation source, since thermal energy networks use the same types of pipes as natural gas distribution networks.

The American West is home to 95 percent of the country's geothermal energy capacity, and is uniquely situated to unlock innovation and tap into the vast potential of the heat beneath our feet. We have long been on the cutting edge of geothermal innovation. We have fostered a world-class hot springs industry, deployed district heating, and pioneered enhanced geothermal systems.

Now is the time to scale up geothermal to become a cornerstone of our country's energy mix—working together across all levels of government. Geothermal energy has vast potential to strengthen domestic energy security, create high-paying jobs, ​​protect consumers from rate swings​, and support the growth of renewables. ​

Governors across the region are leading the way to spur investment in geothermal and drive down energy costs, building on the momentum of the Heat Beneath our Feet initiative which I (Governor Polis) led as chair of the bipartisan Western Governors' Association.

Governors Spencer Cox and Jared Polis Newsweek Illustration/Getty Images

In Colorado, geothermal energy grants are helping to unlock more than $150 million in private sector investment, with $22.6 million in state support. And that's just the beginning. These incentives, along with regulatory reform to make permitting faster and easier, support geothermal heating and cooling projects at fire stations, university campuses, recreation centers, and mixed-use neighborhood developments.

Innovative ​Colorado ​companies ​are exploring ​using ​inactive oil wells as a heat source to power thermal energy, and the state has funded several geothermal electricity studies and test wells, which could unlock dozens to hundreds of megawatts of geothermal electricity.

Colorado Mesa University is a national leader, soon to achieve 100 percent geothermal-powered heating and cooling. Geothermal saves the university millions of dollars every year on its energy costs, which has led to a 2 percent reduction in tuition with the hope of delivering even more savings to students in the years to come.

Colorado recently celebrated one of the largest deployments of ground-source heat pumps in the country—a partnership between Dandelion Energy and Lennar Corporation to build 1,500 new Colorado homes with geothermal heat pumps. In addition to expanding needed housing supply, this exciting collaboration is expected to save residents $30 million in energy costs over 20 years compared to gas or electric alternatives.

Colorado utilities also stepped in to support this initiative with rebates for consumers, as geothermal energy use is expected to reduce anticipated peak electric demand considerably, bringing down energy costs for all utility customers.

According to a recent report from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), widespread adoption of geothermal heat pumps could eliminate the need for 24,500 miles of new grid transmission lines—the equivalent of crossing the United States eight times.

In Utah, the Frontier Observatory for Research in Geothermal Energy collaboration between the University of Utah and the U.S. Department of Energy is helping deploy many first-of-their-kind geothermal technologies to prove the commercial viability and scalability of Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) at its field laboratory for electricity production utilizing hot rock. And it's not theoretical: geothermal startup Fervo Energy is building Cape Station, the largest next-generation geothermal development in the world near Milford, Utah. By 2028 the project will generate 500 megawatts of energy, and could eventually grow to generating 2 gigawatts of energy, enough to power almost 2 million homes.

The same innovation is happening throughout the West. Fervo partnered with Google to power its data center in Northern Nevada, and is now expanding to projects in California.

In Northern Colorado, the Geothermal Limitless Approach to Drilling Efficiencies (GLADE) project, is now drilling 20,000-foot wells to access similar heat as the site in Utah but now at great depths. GLADE's demonstration is anticipated to open up new geothermal energy opportunities across the country as the industry works toward achieving the DOE Enhanced Geothermal Shot initiative to reduce costs.

Despite this progress, geothermal is still operating in an outdated federal regulatory framework, slowed by lengthy permitting timelines, outdated leasing structures, and limited federal funding. The last time Congress made comprehensive updates to geothermal policy was in the Energy Act of 2020, enacted at a time when only a handful of wells had been permitted or drilled, and before some of the newer technology had been tested for deep-well geothermal.

Five years is a long time with research, progress, and innovation happening so rapidly. Developers have made real cost reductions, and new technologies continue to be piloted and demonstrated. The industry is firmly demonstrating its real-world viability, with real projects and real customers. Federal updates are needed to reflect the realities on the ground when it comes to geothermal.

Western states are proving the case for geothermal, but the full benefits will only be realized with smart federal policy that removes barriers and unlocks critical investments. Energy Secretary Chris Wright has been vocal in support of expanding the use of geothermal technologies, so we urge Congress to act now and make decisive and meaningful progress this year.

There is bipartisan interest to open the door for the expansion and deployment of geothermal energy. The WGA Heat Beneath our Feet initiative produced a playbook of strategies to scale the deployment of geothermal energy that we hope to see adopted at the federal level.

Geothermal energy is a scalable, reliable, and domestic energy solution that can play a major role in achieving a resilient power grid that saves consumers money, creates jobs, and cuts pollution.

In Colorado and Utah, we know that by innovating and working together we can build an affordable, sustainable future. This is what it takes to ensure America leads the world in geothermal innovation. The future of our energy system is beneath our feet—it's time to harness it.”

Spencer Cox is the governor of Utah.

Jared Polis is the governor of Colorado.

The views expressed in this article are the writers' own.