Geothermal Resources Leasing Programmatic EIS

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• What are geothermal resources?
Geothermal resources are hot water, and steam within the Earth that become heated from being in relatively close contact the super-heated magma that typically lies below that crust. Water and steam are excellent conductors of heat energy, and underground reservoirs of such heated water and steam can be drilled into and brought to the surface via wells, similar to how oil or natural gas is brought to the surface. Once brought to the surface, the heat can be used to create electricity using a geothermal power plant, or can be used directly (“direct use”) for heating homes, groups of buildings, greenhouses, aquaculture operations, etc.  Geothermal resources can also be areas of dry hot rock within an accessible distance from the surface. New technologies, referred to as “Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) involve injecting water into these dry and hot rock formations to create the hot water and/or steam that can be used to bring the heat back up to the surface.

• How are geothermal resources leased and developed on public lands?
The first step in developing geothermal resources on federal lands is to issue a lease for geothermal resources in a defined area. Leasing federal geothermal resources confers on the lessee a right to future exploration and development of geothermal resources within the lease area. However, it does not confer on the lessee the right to conduct any ground disturbing activities to explore for or develop geothermal resources. The four stages of geothermal resource development within a lease are exploration drilling, development, production, and closeout. Each of the four stages under the lease requires separate authorizations and NEPA compliance when ground disturbing activities are proposed.

• Where are geothermal resources located?
Geothermal resources are technically located everywhere at some depth, but to be economically and technologically feasible, geothermal resources are generally defined as those which are relatively close to the Earth’s surface, and therefore accessible. In the United States, such accessible geothermal resources are highly concentrated in the western states, Alaska and Hawaii. These western states include California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming and Montana.

  The “US Geothermal Resources Map” shows the estimated subterranean temperatures at a depth of 6 kilometers.

 •How can I learn more?

There are many excellent sources of information on geothermal resources.  Below are a few that might be of interest.

Educational materials:

— The Geothermal Education Office
— US Department of Energy, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Program
— USGS Assessment of Geothermal Resources of the United States, Circular
— Western Governors' Association Geothermal Task Force Report

Maps:

— US Geothermal Resources Map
— State and National Geothermal Resources
— Virtual Map of Thermal Springs

Electrical Generation:

— Overview of geothermal electricity generation
— How a geothermal power plant works
— How an enhanced geothermal system works

Laws and Regulations

— Geothermal Resource Leasing Regulations
— Geothermal laws and standards 
— Geothermal Steam Act, as amended