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