Note: Single-source report; awaiting corroboration.
The U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Hydrocarbons and Geothermal Energy has announced the release of the National Petroleum Council's report, "American Resources for a Secure Future: A National Cooperative Subsurface Assessment Program." Commissioned by the DOE, the report provides recommendations to enhance the understanding and management of U.S. subsurface resources, including oil, natural gas, geothermal energy, critical minerals, coal, geologic hydrogen, and underground storage.
The report stresses the need for stronger national coordination by increasing collaboration among federal and state agencies, Tribal governments, academia, and industry. It recommends a long-term planning process to identify priorities for subsurface resource assessments.
Modernizing data collection and access is another key recommendation, including expanded federal-state data acquisition, improved public access to geological information through a national data portal, preservation of legacy data, and responsible use of industry data to support future assessments.
The report also highlights the role of advanced technologies, such as advanced sensing, 3D subsurface modeling, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and next-generation drilling and recovery methods, as critical for improving resource characterization and spurring innovation.
Additionally, the report calls for accelerated integrated assessments that holistically consider multiple resource types to better inform development strategies.
According to DOE Under Secretary Kyle Haustveit, the recommendations provide a framework to unlock America’s subsurface potential and support priorities such as energy security, economic prosperity, and industrial competitiveness, aligning with efforts to reduce barriers to energy resource development and strengthen domestic supply chains.