S. 4960 explained · 119th Congress · Pending in Congress
CLEAN Act
Cosponsors: none · per Congress.gov, 2026-10-08
Introduced: 2026-07-14
Latest action (2026-07-15): Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining. Hearings held.
What S. 4960 does, in plain terms
The Congressional Research Service has not published a summary of S. 4960 yet. Its official title: “CLEAN Act”.
Constitution Index
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S. 4960 has not been graded yet. New measures with an official summary are graded daily under the published rubric.
The Framers
“Founders’ Verdict”
Confidence 0.50
Archived SI output (machine-generated)No editorial review recorded. This historical SI verdict was machine-generated by software and predates the review desk; check it against the official bill text.
Synthesis
The bill is constitutional under Article IV, Section 3, Clause 2, but only if it includes safeguards against wasteful exploitation, strictly applies to federal lands without infringing on state sovereignty or private property rights, and ensures lease sales serve the public interest rather than private gain.
The proposed legislation falls squarely within the enumerated powers of Congress under Article IV, Section 3, Clause 2, which grants Congress the power to 'dispose of and make all needful Rules and Regulations respecting the Territory or other Property belonging to the United States.' Federal lands are property of the United States, and leasing them for geothermal energy development is a permissible disposition of that property. Moreover, Article I, Section 8, Clause 18 authorizes Congress to make all laws 'necessary and proper' for executing its enumerated powers, and increasing the frequency…
The Constitution grants Congress authority over federal lands under the Property Clause (Article IV, Section 3, Clause 2), which permits regulation of resources like geothermal steam. However, the Tenth Amendment reserves to the states or the people all powers not delegated to the United States. If this bill compels lease sales on state or private lands without consent, it would exceed federal power. Additionally, the Ninth Amendment cautions that the enumeration of certain rights shall not be construed to deny others retained by the people, such as local control over land use. The bill is con…
The Constitution vests in Congress the power to dispose of and make all needful rules and regulations respecting the territory or other property belonging to the United States (Article IV, Section 3, Clause 2). This power extends to leasing public lands for geothermal energy development. However, the frequency and terms of lease sales must be consistent with the enumerated powers and the general welfare clause (Article I, Section 8, Clause 1). If the bill accelerates lease sales without regard for prudent stewardship of public resources or the potential for factional interests to dominate (as …
This bill falls squarely within the constitutional authority of Congress to dispose of and regulate the property of the United States. The Geothermal Steam Act concerns the leasing of federal lands for geothermal resources, which is a form of disposal of public property. Article IV, Section 3, Clause 2 grants Congress the power to 'dispose of and make all needful Rules and Regulations respecting the Territory or other Property belonging to the United States.' Increasing the frequency of lease sales and requiring replacement sales are means to effectuate that disposal. As established in McCullo…
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