BLM Geothermal Lease Sale
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The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Oregon/Washington State Office has announced that it will be offering, for competitive sale, certain Federal lands in the State of Oregon for geothermal leasing. The offered Federal lands are all in the northeast corner of Lake County and split between BLM's Prineville and Burns Districts. The competitive oral auction will begin at 8:00 a.m. on Friday, December 19, 2008. The BLM will hold the sale in the 5th Floor Monument Conference Room 532 at the Bureau of Land Management Utah State Office, 3 Gateway Building, 440 West 200 South, Salt Lake City, Utah. The geothermal lease sale is being held in Utah to geographically accommodate bidders that have previously expressed interest. The BLM is the agency responsible for managing geothermal leases on all Federal lands, including National Forest lands. Not all Federal lands are open to geothermal leasing. Public lands are available for leasing only after they have been evaluated through BLM's multiple-use planning process (National Environmental Policy Act and Federal Land Policy and Management Act). Stipulations may be placed on leases to protect other resources through mitigation or restrictions on surface use. Currently, the only BLM geothermal-related work occurring in the State of Oregon is within the BLM's Prineville District, on U.S. Forest Service lands. In 2007, the BLM Prineville District completed planning work for the Newberry Geothermal Exploration Project analyzing efforts to explore geothermal resources within the Deschutes National Forest on the western flank of Newberry Volcano. Exploratory work is currently ongoing to determine whether this geothermal resource is sufficient, but no production is occurring at this site. The BLM will post the December sale results in the Oregon/Washington State Office Land Office, or for $5.00 the public can purchase a printed copy of the results list from the Land Office. The sale results, along with other information regarding geothermal issues, can be found on the Oregon/Washington BLM website at: blm.gov/or/energy/geothermal/index.php For more information regarding the location of the sale and building access, please contact Judy Nordstrom with the Utah BLM at (801) 539-4108. For information regarding geothermal leasing, please contact Donna Kauffman, Land Examiner, with the BLM Oregon/Washington State Office, at (503) 808-6162.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.