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New California legislation to support mineral extractions from geothermal operations

Hudson Ranch I, California, U.S. (source: EnergySource)
Alexander Richter 29 Eyl 2016

California's Governor Jerry Brown has signed a new piece of legislation, which incentivizes efforts to extract minerals from geothermal operations in California.

A previously introduced new piece of legislation, was now approved by California’s Governor Jerry Brown. He signed Senate Bill 1074, which aims at “incentivizing existing geothermal power plants operating disadvantaged communities by funding mineral extraction projects at those facilities.”

In the new legislation it says that “Existing law requires that all revenues received by the state pursuant to specified federal laws be deposited in the Geothermal Resources Development Account and continuously appropriated as specified. Existing law requires some of those revenues to be disbursed to counties in which the federal government has leased land for geothermal development and another portion of those revenues to be available for distribution by the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission (Energy Commission) as grants or loans made to local jurisdictions or private entities. Existing law specifies purposes primarily relating to geothermal energy development and mitigation for which recipients may expend these moneys.”

With the law it expands the eligible uses of funds in the Geothermal Resources Development Account to include projects to recover lithium, metals, agricultural products, and other beneficial minerals from highly mineralized geothermal brines at existing geothermal facilities that are in disadvantaged communities and provide local employment opportunities.

Source: Imperial Valley Press