The Bureau of Land Management has approved a categorical exclusion to make it easier to explore geothermal energy on public lands, allowing small-scale exploration projects to move forward with less red tape.
Categorical exclusions are actions that have been determined not to have significant environmental impacts, thus eliminating the need to complete a full environmental review. The exclusions help streamline National Environmental Policy Act compliance through the removal of regulatory burdens.
BLM Acting Director, Bill Groffy, said, “By setting consistent permitting expectations across public lands, we’re giving operators a clear, predictable path to delivering a reliable supply of geothermal energy. This new categorical exclusion streamlines the process without compromising environmental review or quality standards. It will expedite the approval of new geothermal projects, ensuring operators across the West can provide more energy for the American people.”
An agency must verify there is no extraordinary circumstances, such as potential impacts to endangered wildlife, which may result in the project having significant environmental effects, before relying on a categorical exclusion.