For each parcel leased, 50% of the bid, rental receipts, and subsequent royalties will go to the state of California, 25% will go to the county where the lease is located, and the remaining 25% will go to the U.S. Treasury.
Consistent with Trump's Executive Order 14154, “Unleashing American Energy,” the BLM's geothermal lease sales help meet the energy needs of U.S. citizens and solidify the nation as a global energy leader long into the future.
Leasing is the first step in the process to develop federal geothermal resources. The BLM ensures geothermal development meets the requirements set forth by the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 and other applicable legal authorities. Planning documents for this sale are available at the BLM National NEPA Register. The BLM’s lease sales are held online through EnergyNet.
The four stages of geothermal resource development within a lease are exploration, resource drilling, production, and reclamation. Each stage under the lease requires separate authorizations, as well as compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act, when ground-disturbing activities are proposed.
Geothermal 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 and the 700 million acres where the United States owns the subsurface mineral estate.
