The purpose of the Harnessing Energy At Thermal Sources Act of 2026, also known as the HEATS Act, is to streamline the process for geothermal energy exploration and production. It aims to reduce federal regulatory burdens by waiving the requirement for a federal drilling permit for certain geothermal activities on non-federal land. Key provisions of the act include the following: Operators will not need to obtain a federal drilling permit if they are working on non-federal land and the U.S. government owns less than 50 percent of the geothermal resources beneath that land.