Acting Assistant Secretary Curt Coccodrilli and Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary John Lassek led a delegation across Utah, highlighting the broad reach of HGEO and its work to support reliable, affordable, and secure American energy.
Hydrocarbons and Geothermal Energy Office
August 26, 2026
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From a working coal mine to one of the nation’s premier geothermal research sites, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) leaders traveled this month across Utah to see how American resources, innovation, infrastructure, and skilled workers are helping strengthen the nation’s energy future.
From August 16–22, Acting Assistant Secretary Curt Coccodrilli and Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary John Lassek led a delegation across Utah, highlighting the broad reach of DOE’s Hydrocarbons and Geothermal Energy Office (HGEO) and its work to support reliable, affordable, and secure American energy.
Over seven days, the delegation visited coal, geothermal, and critical-mineral projects, met with state and local leaders, engaged with industry and academia, toured a working coal mine, and discussed opportunities to strengthen energy infrastructure and America’s energy workforce.
The trip put HGEO’s mission into action in a state that brings together nearly every part of the office’s portfolio.
It also came amid significant federal investments in American energy. Over the past year, HGEO released more than $1 billion in new funding opportunities to modernize and recommission coal facilities, expand oil and natural gas production, advance next-generation geothermal development and produced-water technologies, and strengthen America’s energy workforce.
In Utah, the delegation saw firsthand how those national priorities translate into work on the ground.
Near Milford, DOE leaders visited the Utah Frontier Observatory for Research in Geothermal Energy, or FORGE, a DOE-supported field laboratory where researchers are testing technologies needed to expand Enhanced Geothermal Systems across the country. DOE is also supporting an Enhanced Geothermal Systems pilot led by Fervo Energy, adjacent to FORGE.
The delegation also saw how Utah’s traditional energy resources could help strengthen domestic critical-mineral supply chains. DOE has provided $7.5 million to the University of Utah for the Carbon Ore, Rare Earth, and Critical Minerals (CORE-CM) project assessing critical minerals and other valuable resources associated with coal-related materials across the Rocky Mountain region.
Coal was a major focus of the week. The delegation toured Wolverine Fuels’ Fossil Rock Mine and DOE leaders participated in two round tables with state, local, and industry leaders to discuss the opportunities and challenges facing the state’s energy sector.
Coccodrilli also delivered keynote remarks at the American Coal Council’s Coal Innovation & Market Strategies Conference in Park City, During his remarks, Coccodrilli said Utah has an incredible combination of resources, expertise, and innovation and it is a prime example of the opportunity the nation has right in front of us at a time of rapidly increasing electricity demand.
The week’s stops illustrated the breadth of HGEO’s approach.
HGEO is working to pair America’s abundant resources with research, infrastructure, private investment, and a skilled workforce to move energy technologies from development to deployment.
That work extends beyond Utah. DOE is strengthening partnerships with industry, national laboratories, and international partners seeking reliable U.S. energy supplies, mining expertise, critical-mineral technologies, and other American energy capabilities.
The week showed how innovation and domestic resources can work together to deliver reliable, affordable, and secure energy, and how Utah is positioned to play an important role in America’s energy future.