Opening Statement of Chairman Randy Weber at Subsurface Science and Technology: American Energy and Mineral Dominance

Good morning. Welcome to today's Energy Subcommittee hearing titled, "Subsurface Science and Technology: American Energy and Mineral Dominance." The United States is blessed with an abundance of natural resources across this magnificent country.

For over a century, our nation has generated a significant portion of its power directly from subsurface resources such as coal and natural gas. Technological breakthroughs in subsurface sciences have enabled us to access these resources in new and innovative ways, unlocking potential once thought impossible.

A great example of this is the geothermal energy sector. Previously, geothermal energy was limited to certain regions due to the extremely specific conditions required for it to be a viable energy source.

For a geothermal well to be successful, the required combination of shallow heat, permeable rock, and available water had to be present to extract heat from the earth and generate electricity. If any of these requirements were not met, a geothermal well would not generate power. As a result, the few areas capable of supporting geothermal electricity generation were tapped decades ago, which left the industry in a position where some believed that its full potential had been reached.

Thanks to innovation in the oil and gas sector, geothermal is getting a new lease on life. Over the last few decades, oil and gas have been at the forefront of new drilling and extraction technologies and methods.

These breakthroughs have helped address issues that traditional geothermal energy has faced in the past. Next-generation geothermal systems are also well-suited to play a role in leveraging established technologies like hydraulic fracturing and drilling deeper to access hotter rock, bringing baseload geothermal to new regions across the country.

The timing for these enhanced geothermal systems to be commercialized could not be better. Energy demand is skyrocketing as we are not only onshoring manufacturing, but also electrifying our lives and working to stay ahead of the Chinese Communist Party in the artificial intelligence race.

To ensure that the U.S. is positioned for a prosperous future, the Department of Energy underwent a reorganization in November 2025. This reorganization resulted in the establishment of two key offices for today's hearing: the Hydrocarbons and Geothermal Energy Office and the Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation. With their creation, DOE made the subsurface and, by extension, geothermal energy and critical minerals a priority moving forward. These offices have already announced funding opportunities to accelerate the deployment of next-generation geothermal energy, while helping ensure a safe and secure supply chain for the U.S.

We have seen recently how geopolitical events can impact not only our economy, but also the global economy. This underscores the importance of strengthening domestic supply chains to meet both our energy and critical mineral needs. It also highlights the need to continue advancing cutting-edge innovation.

The discoveries made by oil and natural gas companies that led to the hydraulic fracturing boom have helped insulate the U.S. from electricity price shocks, thanks to our enormous natural gas production capacity. This has enabled us to support our allies with LNG shipments to Europe and Asia, not only during the current supply disruption but in previous ones as well.

The ability to bring a new baseload power source to market during an energy supply crunch is an enormous win for the American people. Paired with the DOE's ongoing efforts to reduce reliance on critical minerals from foreign countries that may not always have our best interests in mind, this creates a powerful one-two punch for the subsurface community.

I want to thank our witnesses for their testimony today, and I look forward to a productive discussion. With that, I yield back the balance of my time.

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