CO geothermal bill clarifies roles and rights

In Colorado, the House gave initial approval to Senate Bill 174, which has already passed the Senate. Under SB 174, the state engineer could deny a geothermal water permit if it would lower the temperature in a spring with an existing right. The bill also allows the owners of geothermal rights to use a surface owner’s land if a “split estate” situation exists, which is similar to private land use for gas and oil drilling. Geothermal heat would be subject to the same kind of property taxes as solar and wind energy under the bill. The Bureau of Land Management has offered three tracts of land for Colorado’s inaugural federal geothermal leases and bill sponsor, Rep. Christine Scanlan, D-Dillon was quoted as saying said that “the potential of geothermal to heat Colorado exceeds even solar and wind.” We wonder if she will be surprised if the resource is used to generate electricity.