Production of steam and hot water from 22 producing geothermal leases on public lands generated over 4.1 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity in 2005; enough for over 500,000 people. Royalties associated with this level of production totaled over $12 million dollars.

The Geothermal Steam Act of 1970, as amended (84 Stat, 1566; 30 U.S.C. 1001-1025), provides the Secretary of the Interior with the authority to lease public lands and other federal lands, including National Forest lands, for geothermal exploration and development in an environmentally sound manner. This authority has been delegated to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). BLM implements the Act through the regulations contained in 43 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 3200.

• Public Notice: Oregon/Washington Geothermal Lease Sale - July 24, 2008
  Proposed Sale Postponed (PDF)
• Public Notice: Oregon/Washington Geothermal Lease Sale - June 12, 2008 Proposed Sale Postponed (PDF)
• Public Notice: Oregon/Washington Geothermal Lease Sale Land Nominations (PDF)

Geothermal Operation Forms

• Form 3203-1 - Nomination of Lands for Competitive Geothermal Leasing