Fulcher sponsors geothermal energy bill

North Idaho’s representative to the U.S. Congress introduced a bill that would clear an easier path to explore geothermal resources on federal lands.

Rep. Russ Fulcher, R-Idaho, introduced the Enhancing Geothermal Production on Federal Lands Act, a bill aimed to reduce environmental impact regulations for geothermal exploration on all federally managed lands. In an interview with the Hagadone News Network, Fulcher said his bill was an easy step toward solving America’s complicated energy problems.

“We’re blessed with geothermal energy,” Fulcher said. “It’s abundant, the carbon footprint is minimal, and 90 percent of it is on federally managed lands. This bill addresses a need with hardly any negative impact on our environment, compared to natural gas.”

Fulcher said the abundance of geothermal potential in Idaho makes the push to enhance production even more important.

“More than 80 percent of the energy Idaho uses comes from outside the state,” he said. “This gives us a quicker path to explore other opportunities without burdening our citizens or nearby resources. It’s really a win-win.”

Geothermal energy production is derived by harvesting heat from the Earth’s crust, storing it and converting it to power. Compared with oil, coal and natural gas, producing geothermal energy is cost-effective, sustainable and is widely considered more environmentally friendly.

While geothermal energy involves drilling, the wells are shallower than those used to produce petroleum. The process still requires environmental review, which Fulcher’s bill looks to circumvent. His legislation would, among other things, require the secretary of the Interior to identify priority areas for geothermal development on federal lands, allow for geothermal development on lands already leased for oil and gas development and permit noncompetitive leases on adjacent federal lands, the latter with the hope current leaseholders would acquire neighboring lands at fair market value.

“What this bill would do is create a categorical exclusion for geothermal exploration,” he said, “which would make it easier and speed up the process in a huge way. Right now, an environmental assessment is a 10-to-12-month process. This bill would cut that way back, and it also would allow this exploration on lands already leased for oil and gas.”

Geothermal energy historically has been left behind by major energy companies because the energy sources are usually limited to areas within tectonic boundaries, Idaho being one such place.

Fulcher said Idaho was in a strong position to lead the geothermal charge. While he could not say how many jobs would be created, he was confident in the industry’s future.

“In some ways, we’re a pioneer in geothermal energy,” he said. “This can reinvigorate Idaho back into a leader in energy. It’s clearly a significant increase in jobs, and it doesn’t just stop with the production of jobs. It filters through the economy. It will cycle through, over and over, far more than service jobs. This will be a big win for Idaho.”