U.S. BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT
BLM seeks comments for October geothermal lease sale across Nevada

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is seeking public comments on four environmental assessments for 70 parcels totaling more than 234,300 acres across Nevada that have been nominated for a proposed statewide geothermal lease sale on Oct. 8, 2024., which would be held via EnergyNet.

This geothermal sale supports President Biden's goal of creating a carbon pollution-free power sector by 2035. Recently, the Department of the Interior announced that BLM had achieved the major milestone of permitting 25 gigawatts of clean energy projects, including solar, wind, geothermal, and gen-ties (transmission lines that cross public lands to connect renewable energy projects on private lands to the grid).

The BLM is currently processing 67 utility-scale onshore clean energy projects proposed on public lands in the western United States, which have the combined potential to add more than 31,000 megawatts of renewable energy to the grid. BLM is also undertaking the preliminary review of nearly 190 applications for solar and wind development, as well as 88 applications for wind and solar energy testing.

Responsible renewable energy development includes thoughtful consideration of parcels nominated for leasing as well as potential resource impacts of decisions to lease. An additional environmental review would take place during the processing of any geothermal drilling permits, when site-specific conditions of approval will be placed on the permit in addition to the stipulations attached to the lease. 

Public comments must be submitted in writing by July 18, 2024, to the appropriate contact listed below.

BLM Battle Mountain District Office, 50 Bastian Road, Battle Mountain, NV 89820 ATTN: Project Manager Melissa Jennings or emailed to Melissa Jennings at mjennings@blm.gov.  The environmental documents, lists, maps of the parcels, attached stipulations, and comment portal are online at  https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2033011/510.

BLM Carson City District Office, 5665 Mill Road, Carson City, NV 89701 ATTN: Project Manager, Melanie Hornsby or emailed to Melanie Hornsby at mhornsby@blm.gov. The environmental documents, lists, maps of the parcels, attached stipulations and comment portal are online at https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2033134/510.

BLM Winnemucca District Office, 5100 E. Winnemucca Blvd., Winnemucca, NV 89455 ATTN: Project Manager, Holy Doherty or emailed to Holy Doherty at hdoherty@blm.gov.  The environmental documents, lists, maps of the parcels, attached stipulations and comment portal are online at https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2031640/510.

BLM Elko District Office, 3900 East Idaho Street, Elko, NV 89801 ATTN: Project Manager, Lucinda Dockstader or emailed to Lucinda Dockstader at ldockstader@blm.gov. The environmental documents, lists, maps of the parcels, attached stipulations, and comment portal are online at https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2031638/510.

Background

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 leasing on approximately 245 million acres of public lands, including 104 million acres of U.S. Forest Service lands. Geothermal energy can also be used to heat buildings, operate greenhouses, and support aquaculture operations.

BLM-issued geothermal leases are for a 10-year period. For each parcel, 50 percent of the bid, rental receipts, and subsequent royalties are disbursed to the respective state, an additional 25 percent is disbursed to the respective county, and 25 percent remains in the U.S. Treasury. Each lease contains standard stipulations to protect endangered species and cultural resources and ensure that development is safe and environmentally responsible. After parcels are leased, lessees must submit site-specific proposals for an additional in-depth analysis before drilling can occur.

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