BLM to hold September 2025 geothermal lease sale in southern Idaho
BOISE, Idaho – The Bureau of Land Management Idaho State Office will hold a competitive geothermal lease sale on Sept. 9, 2025, offering nine parcels totaling nearly 20,615 acres in Elmore and Washington counties and roughly 3,740 acres in Bonneville County. Leasing of these parcels will allow the lessees to explore and potentially develop geothermal resources within the parcel. The auction will be held online via EnergyNet.
For each parcel leased, 25% of the bid, rental receipts, and subsequent royalties will go to the U.S. Treasury, 25% will go to the county where the lease is located, and the remaining 50% will go to the State of Idaho. The State of Idaho then allocates 90% of that portion into the state renewable energy resources fund and 10% to the counties where the leases are located for construction and maintenance of roads and support of public schools.
In fiscal year 2024, the BLM paid states and local governments nearly $11 billion, including $30.6 million to the State of Idaho, for improvement projects and public services under various revenue-sharing programs such as livestock grazing, mineral royalties, and lease rent.
Geothermal energy is a renewable resource that generates baseload electricity with minimal carbon emissions. It is an abundant resource, especially in the West, where the BLM has authority to manage geothermal resource leasing, exploration, and development on approximately 245 million surface acres of public lands, as well as on the 700 million acres where the United States owns the subsurface mineral estate.
The BLM issues competitive geothermal leases for an initial 10-year period. The leases allow the lessee to explore for and develop potential geothermal resources. The leases may be extended if the lessee establishes production or provides proof of diligent exploration.
Before including parcels in a lease sale, the BLM conducts environmental reviews in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and other laws to consider potential environmental impacts from the lease sale and to determine appropriate stipulations on use to protect other resource values. These reviews included opportunities for public input. Review documentation, lease stipulations, and the lease sale notice can be found at the BLM National NEPA Register for the Four Rivers Field Office lease parcels and the Pocatello Field Office lease parcels.
All BLM geothermal decisions must be consistent with the decisions in the applicable land use plan. Before permitting any surface-disturbing activities, the BLM will conduct an appropriate level of NEPA review when processing applications for exploration or development plans, which may include site-specific conditions in addition to the stipulations attached to the lease at the time of sale. Please visit the BLM Idaho Geothermal Energy website for updates.
The BLM manages about 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.