An Act relative to the protection and development of the thermal commons of the Commonwealth

This bill establishes Massachusetts' "thermal commons" as a public trust resource, defining ambient geothermal energy (under 80°F at shallow depths) and anthropogenic geothermal energy (from human-caused climate change) as belonging to citizens in public trust, except on wholly private property. It creates a 20-member commission (including representatives from environmental groups, utilities, labor, and agencies) to develop recommendations by July 2026 for managing this resource to support the state's 2050 net-zero emissions goal. The commission must address key issues like access rules for private land, obligations for energy service in return for resource access, thermal stability requirements, and how to treat anthropogenic energy drawdown as ecosystem restoration. The bill itself does not enact new regulations but mandates this study process to inform future policy.