The Trump administration is looking to ramp up geothermal energy development on federal lands with a new Bureau of Land Management policy to hold annual competitive lease sales for industry-nominated parcels.
The Geothermal Steam Act requires that lease sales only be held on nominated parcels once every two years and only “in states with pending nominations if the land is otherwise available for leasing.”
But BLM will now prioritize holding geothermal project lease sales every year in those states, according to an instruction memorandum sent last week to all bureau field offices by Tina Roberts-Ashby, BLM’s acting assistant director of energy, minerals and realty management.
“This shift reflects the [BLM’s] commitment to accelerating the development of reliable, steady-state baseload energy, cutting red tape, and supporting the American Energy Dominance Agenda,” according to the instruction memo.
