Across the U.S., every major energy source faces community opposition. Wind and solar — cheap, clean, job-creating technologies — face restrictions or bans, often stemming from community concern over local impacts, in one-fifth of U.S. counties. Similar trends have been seen for fossil fuels, carbon capture, and hydrogen.
It can seem inevitable that as an energy technology grows, it gains a cadre of dedicated opponents. The result is that in many regions, affordable energy can no longer be built at all, driving up electricity costs for families and slowing emissions reductions, which is precisely the opposite of what the climate and the economy need.
Overcoming these barriers is essential not only for mature technologies, but also for the next generation of clean energy, starting with geothermal. If we fail to learn from past mistakes, new geothermal approaches risk running into the same trust and siting challenges that have slowed other energy technologies.
Renewable energy sources have brought benefits to communities around the country. Even so, some communities have felt sidelined by opaque decision-making, overwhelmed by the pace of change, or uncertain about who truly benefits. This “trust deficit” has become one of the biggest bottlenecks in the clean energy transition. Where projects lack transparency, strong community engagement, and material benefits for communities, they create resentment. This has been furthered by strategic disinformation campaigns against wind and solar, sometimes led by fossil fuel interests, prompting public opposition.
Next-generation geothermal is just starting to garner large-scale investment. It has the potential to deliver what our energy system desperately needs, especially amid unanticipated load growth: reliable, carbon-free, 24/7 baseload power that complements variable renewables like wind and solar. We could soon start to bend the deployment curve up on these projects.
But if we follow status-quo thinking, we will run into the same community opposition that has slowed other technologies. Building public understanding and support now, rather than retroactively, is essential.
Improving on the status quo
Geothermal’s biggest advantage is that it doesn’t start from scratch. The sector can leverage a century of oil and gas infrastructure, workforce expertise, and supply chains. The same rigs, geologists, and subsurface engineers that powered fossil fuel extraction can now power clean energy, without producing hydrocarbons or the associated greenhouse gas emissions, and with significantly lower environmental risks. This overlap allows geothermal to scale faster and more affordably, while offering a just transition pathway for regions long dependent on subsurface energy jobs.
But realizing that potential requires foresight. Developers must engage communities early and transparently, and clearly communicate risks, benefits, and safety protocols. Projects should include concrete benefits — local jobs, infrastructure improvements, and revenue- or profit-sharing — so host communities directly gain from development.
While next-generation geothermal involves drilling, seismic risk, and water management, following best practices and safety protocols developed by leading independent scientists can ensure safe operations.
Some companies are already taking steps to make this happen. Fervo Energy, a leading next-gen geothermal developer, which is reportedly planning an IPO, recently introduced the Geothermal Sustainable Development Pact, a voluntary framework for responsible project development. This sets a clear blueprint for how the industry should proceed, building trust in the communities where projects will live.
Next-gen companies can strengthen such pacts by building a broad base of support early — working with community and labor groups, advocacy organizations, and others — and incorporating their insights directly into the drafting process.
The policy imperative
Still, industry action alone won’t be enough. Policymakers must back these efforts with smart, durable permitting and siting processes that help projects get built in the first place and produce tangible benefits for communities.
In many states, geothermal regulations are outdated and have not kept pace with recent technological innovations. Outdated regulations create uncertainty that deters investors and slows projects, while also leaving communities unsure who sets the rules or ensures accountability. State lawmakers should update their regulations to cover the full spectrum of geothermal approaches, ensuring safe and efficient project development.
Meanwhile, projects need to materialize to deliver benefits, and that means securing permission to build. But permitting reform efforts in Congress have consistently stalled just short of the finish line, and even now continue to face bipartisan headwinds. Smart reforms, such as expanding categorical exclusions for low-impact geothermal projects on federal lands, can streamline development while maintaining environmental protections and community engagement.
In addition to streamlining the permitting process, there are other policy mechanisms that encourage technology deployment and community support for geothermal projects.
For example, projects can include profit-sharing arrangements and other financial benefits, improve local infrastructure, and create workforce programs for locals. These allow host communities to directly benefit from geothermal projects. Benefits-sharing programs can ensure that economic gains, jobs, and infrastructure improvements flow directly to the places and people hosting the projects. Next-generation geothermal offers not just a technological opportunity, but the chance to chart a better clean energy course than the one we’ve been on. Permitting is often framed as a tradeoff between speed and fairness, but that framing is outdated; fast and fair can happen together.
If developers and policymakers act with foresight and center more creative solutions for seeding early and ongoing public support, geothermal can become a model for how to scale clean energy successfully. The question is whether we’ll choose to make that the new pattern we repeat.
Addy Smith is a senior associate working on clean energy at the Federation of American Scientists, or FAS. Ann Garth is a senior geothermal associate focused on next-generation geothermal at Clean Air Task Force, or CATF. The opinions represented in this contributed article are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the views of Latitude Media or any of its staff.
