Geothermal PEIS released for western U.S.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and U.S. Forest Service issued the record of decision for the programmatic portion of the Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) for Geothermal Leasing in the Western United States, including Alaska.

This amends 114 BLM land use plans across the Western United States, including Alaska, to identify areas open for consideration for geothermal leasing. Stipulations, best management practices, and procedures for leasing are also provided in the decision.

There will be a series of workshops around the country in Spring 2009 to explain to how the PEIS cna be used for geothermal exploration activities.

The map at right shows 142 million acres of BLM lands available for leasing (yellow) and 106 million acres of Forest Service lands (green). The San Francisco volcanic field near Flagstaff should have a big potential for geothermal but was not included in the plan.