Geothermal Energy: Bureau of Land Management Should Improve Permitting Process as Development Demand Grows on Federal Lands
What GAO Found The Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has processed an increasing volume of land nominations, leases, and permits for geothermal development on federal lands since 2019. Geothermal projects use heat from the earth’s interior to generate electricity. Parties interested in developing geothermal projects on federal lands nominate acres for BLM to review against land use plans. Such nominations increased from about 25,800 acres in 2020 to more than a million acres in 2025. BLM then offers qualifying lands for lease at auctions known as competitive lease sales, which have also increased since 2020. Once land is leased, developers submit plans to BLM for..
Reported by Maria LopezGeothermal Energy: Bureau of Land Management Should Improve Permitting Process as Development Demand Grows on Federal Lands.
The item is dated Thu, 08 Oct 2026 08:54:33 -0400.
TeamCog is carrying it as a audits report from GAO reports and testimonies RSS.
What GAO Found The Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has processed an increasing volume of land nominations, leases, and permits for geothermal development on federal lands since 2019.
Geothermal projects use heat from the earth’s interior to generate electricity.
Parties interested in developing geothermal projects on federal lands nominate acres for BLM to review against land use plans.
Such nominations increased from about 25,800 acres in 2020 to more than a million acres in 2025.
BLM then offers qualifying lands for lease at auctions known as competitive lease sales, which have also increased since 2020.
Official Source
GAO reports and testimonies RSS. Accessed 2026-10-08T15:00:06.819Z.