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GEOTHERMAL STEAM ACT OF 1970

GEOTHERMAL STEAM ACT OF 1970

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AN ACT To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to make disposition of geothermal steam and associated geothermal resources, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That this Act may be cited as the "Geothermal Steam Act of 1970".

SEC. 2. As used in this Act, the term

(a) "Secretary" means the Secretary of the Interior;

(b) "geothermal lease" means a lease issued under authority of this Act;

(c) "geothermal steam and associated geothermal resources" means (i) all products of geothermal processes, embracing indigenous steam, hot water and hot brines; (ii) steam and other gases, hot water and hot brines resulting from water, gas, or other fluids artificially introduced into geothermal formations; (iii) heat or other associated energy found in geothermal formations; and (iv) any byproduct derived from;

(d) "byproduct" means any mineral or minerals (exclusive of oil, hydrocarbon gas, and helium) which are found in solution or in association with geothermal steam and which have a value of less than 75 per centum of the value of the geothermal steam or are not, because of quantity, quality, or technical difficulties in extraction and production, of sufficient value to warrant extraction and production by themselves;

(e) "known geothermal resources area" means an area in which the geology, nearby discoveries, competitive interests, or other indicia would, in the opinion of the Secretary, engender a belief in men who are experienced in the subject matter that the prospects for extraction of geothermal steam or associated geothermal resources are good enough to warrant expenditures of money for that purpose.

(f) "Significant thermal features within units of the National Park System" shall include, but not be limited to, the following:

(1) Thermal features within units of the National Park System listed in Section 28(a)(1) and designated a significant in the Federal Register notice of August 3, 1987 (Vol. 52. No. 148 Fed. Reg. 28790).

(2) Crater Lake National Park.

(3) Thermal features within Big Bend National Park and Lake Mead National Recreation Area proposed as significant in the Federal Register notice of February 13, 1987 (Vol. 52, No. 30 Fed. Reg. 4700).

The Geothermal Steam Act of 1970 (84 Stat. 1566) consists of the Act of December 24, 1970, (Public Law 91-581) and subsequent amendments thereto (30 U.S.C. 1001 and following).

(4) Thermal features within units of the National Park System added to the significant thermal features list pursuant to section 28(a)(2) of this Act.

(30 U.S.C. 1001)

SEC. 3. Subjects to the provisions of section 15 of this Act, the Secretary of the Interior may issue leases for the development and utilization of geothermal steam and associated geothermal resources (1) in lands administered by him, including public, withdrawn, and acquired lands, (2) in any national forest or other lands administered by the Department of Agriculture through the Forest Service, including Public, withdrawn, and acquired lands, and (3) in lands which have been conveyed by the United States subject to a reservation to the United States of the geothermal steam and associated geothermal resources therein.

(30 U.S.C. 1002)

SEC. 4. If lands to be leased under this Act are within any known geothermal resources area, they shall be leased to the highest responsible qualified bidder by competitive bidding under regulations formulated by the Secretary. If the lands to be leased are not within any known geothermal resources area, the qualified person first making application for the lease shall be entitled to a lease of such lands without competitive bidding. Notwithstanding the foregoing, at any time within one hundred and eighty days following the effective date of this Act:

(a) with respect to all lands which were on September 7, 1965, subject to valid leases or permits issued under the Mineral Leasing Act of February 25, 1920, as amended (30 U.S.C. 181 et seq.), or under the Mineral Leasing Act of Acquired Lands, as amended (30 U.S.C. 351, 358), or to existing mining claims located on or prior to September 7, 1965, the lessees or permittees or claimants or their successors in interest who are qualified to hold geothermal leases shall have the right to convert such leases or permits or claims to geothermal leases covering the same lands;

(b) where there are conflicting claims, leases, or permits therefor embracing the same land, the person who first was issued a lease or permit, or who first recorded the mining claim shall be entitled to first consideration;

(c) with respect to all lands which were on September 7, 1965, the subject of a applications for leases or permits under the above Acts, the applicants may convert their applications to applications for geothermal leases having priorities dating from the time of filing of such applications under such Acts; (d) no person shall be permitted to convert mineral leases, permits, applications therefor, or mining claims for more than 10,240 acres;

(e) the conversion of leases, permits, and mining claims and applications for leases and permits shall be accomplished in accordance with regulations prescribed by the Secretary. No right to conversion to a geothermal lease shall accrue to any person under this section unless such person shows to the reasonable satisfaction of the Secretary that substantial expendi

tures for the exploration, development, or production of geothermal steam have been made by the applicant who is seeking conversion, on the lands for which a lease is sought or on adjoining, adjacent, or nearby Federal or non-Federal lands; and

(f) with respect to lands within any known geothermal resources area and which are subject to a right to conversion to a geothermal lease, such lands shall be leased by competitive bidding: Provided, That the competitive geothermal lease shall be issued to the person owning the right to conversion to a geothermal lease if he makes payment of an amount equal to the highest bona fide bid for the competitive geothermal lease, plus the rental for the first year, within thirty days after he receives written notice from the Secretary of the amount of the highest bid.

(30 U.S.C. 1003)

SEC. 5. Geothermal leases shall provide for—

(a) a royalty of not less than 10 per centum or more than 15 per centum of the amount or value of steam, or any other form of heat or energy derived from production under the lease and sold or utilized by the lessee or reasonably susceptible to sale or utilization by the lessee;

(b) a royalty of not more than 5 per centum of the value of any byproduct derived from production under the lease and sold or utilized or reasonably susceptible of sale or utilization by the lessee, except that as to any byproduct which is a mineral named in section 1 of the Mineral Leasing Act of February 25, 1920, as amended (30 U.S.C. 181), the rate of royalty for such mineral shall be the same as that provided in that Act and the maximum rate of royalty for such mineral shall not exceed the maximum royalty applicable under that Act;

(c) payment in advance of an annual rental of not less than $1 per acre or fraction thereof for each year of the lease. If there is no well on the leased lands capable of producing geothermal resources in commercial quantities, the failure to pay rental on or before the anniversary date shall terminate the lease by operation of law: Provided, however, That whenever the Secretary discovers that the rental payment due under a lease is paid timely but the amount of the payment is deficient because of an error or other reason and the deficiency is nominal, as determined by the Secretary pursuant to regulations prescribed by him, he shall notify the lessee of the deficiency and such lease shall not automatically terminate unless the lessee fails to pay the deficiency within the period prescribed in the notice: Provided further, That where any lease has been terminated automatically by operation of law under this section for failure to pay rental timely and it is shown to the satisfaction of the Secretary of the Interior that the failure to pay timely the lease rental was justifiable or not due to a lack of reasonable diligence, he in his judgment may reinstate the lease if

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