Geothermal Gold Book Development Act

This section requires the Secretary of the Interior, within one year of the bill's enactment, to identify standard procedures and guidelines specifically for efficient and environmentally responsible geothermal leasing and permitting. This identification process is to focus on areas not already covered by the existing "Gold Book" for oil and gas operations. The goal is to fill regulatory gaps for geothermal energy development on federal lands.

This section mandates that within 270 days after identifying the new procedures, the Secretary of the Interior must publish an updated version of the "Gold Book." This new version will incorporate the identified geothermal guidelines and will be renamed to reflect its expanded scope to include geothermal development. This updated guide will be used by BLM field offices and geothermal operators to ensure consistent application of standards.

Before publishing the updated Gold Book, the Secretary of the Interior is required to consult with other relevant Federal agencies, including BLM field offices, and outside stakeholders. These outside stakeholders specifically include developers and other experts in the geothermal field. This ensures a broad range of perspectives informs the new guidelines, aiming for practical and effective standards.

This section specifies the types of standard procedures and guidelines that must be included in the updated Gold Book. These include guidelines for exploration and geophysical operations, permitting lease operations, ensuring compliance with all applicable laws and regulations, construction and maintenance, and drilling, production, and utilization operations. The overarching goal is to ensure efficient review and approval of environmentally responsible geothermal development across all project phases.

This section requires the Secretary of the Interior to review the most recent version of the Gold Book at least once every five years. If the Secretary determines it necessary to support efficient and environmentally responsible geothermal leasing and permitting, an updated version of the Gold Book must be published. This ensures the guidelines remain current and effective, adapting to new technologies and best practices.