U.S. to boost geothermal energy use on federal lands
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Interior Department said it would make more than 190 million acres of federal lands in 11 western states and Alaska available to energy companies to develop geothermal energy resources for generating electricity.
"These federal lands... hold a huge energy potential," said Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne.
He said the geothermal areas that will be leased could provide 5,540 megawatts of electric generation capacity by 2015, enough to meet the power needs of 5.5 million homes.
Tax breaks for geothermal energy that were passed by Congress this month will help support the use of the renewable energy source.
Geothermal energy comes from heat sources deep in the earth that generate electricity with few carbon emissions.
Direct use of geothermal energy supplies heat for buildings, greenhouses, aquaculture and other activities.
The United States is already the world leader in producing electricity from geothermal energy. Twenty-nine geothermal power plants currently operate on federal lands in California, Nevada and Utah, with a total generating capacity of 1,250 megawatts, enough to supply the needs of 1.2 million homes.
Lands within the National Park System, such as Yellowstone National Park, would still be unavailable for leasing under the final geothermal plan.
Half the geothermal leasing revenue and royalties would go to the state where the lease occurred and the relevant county would get 25 percent. The other 25 percent would go to a federal fund for investing in geothermal development.
Related News
Proposed underground power line could bring Iowa wind turbine electricity to Chicago
CHICAGO - The company behind a proposed underground transmission line that would carry electricity generated mostly by wind turbines in Iowa to the Chicago area said Monday that the $2.5 billion project could be operational in 2024 if regulators approve it.
Direct Connect Development Co. said it has lined up three major investors to back the project. It plans to bury the transmission line in land that runs along existing Canadian Pacific railroad tracks, hopefully reducing the disruption to landowners. It's not unusual for pipelines or fiber optic lines to be buried along railroad tracks in the land the railroad…