832 
HR 6 PCS 
leasing and development of Federal lands in accordance 
with this Act is deemed to be consistent with the manage-
ment of National Forest System lands under section 6 of 
the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning 
Act of 1974 (16 U.S.C. 1604) and public lands under sec-
tion 202 of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act 
of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1712). Land and resource manage-
ment plans and land use plans in effect under such sec-
tions on the date of the enactment of this subsection are 
deemed to be adequate to proceed with the issuance of 
leases under this Act.’’. 
(b) LEASE APPLICATIONS PENDING ON JANUARY 1, 
2005.— 
(1) PRIORITY.—It shall be a priority for the 
Secretary of the Interior, and for the Secretary of 
Agriculture with respect to National Forest Systems 
lands, to ensure timely completion of administrative 
actions necessary to process applications for geo-
thermal leasing pending on January 1, 2005. 
(2) APPLICABLE LAW.—An application referred 
to in paragraph (1), and any lease issued pursuant 
to such an application— 
(A) except as provided in subparagraph 
(B), shall be subject to this section as in effect 
on January 1, 2005; or
833 
HR 6 PCS 
(B) at the election of the applicant, shall 
be subject to this section as in effect on the ef-
fective date of this paragraph. 
SEC. 1806. COORDINATION OF GEOTHERMAL LEASING AND 
PERMITTING ON FEDERAL LANDS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 
date of enactment of this section, the Secretary of the In-
terior and the Secretary of Agriculture shall enter into and 
submit to Congress a memorandum of understanding in 
accordance with this section, the Geothermal Steam Act 
of 1970 (as amended by this Act), and other applicable 
laws, regarding coordination of leasing and permitting for 
geothermal development of public lands and National For-
est System lands under their respective jurisdictions. 
(b) LEASE AND PERMIT APPLICATIONS.—The memo-
randum of understanding shall— 
(1) establish an administrative procedure for 
processing geothermal lease applications, including 
lines of authority, steps in application processing, 
and time limits for application procession; 
(2) establish a 5-year program for geothermal 
leasing of lands in the National Forest System, and 
a process for updating that program every 5 years; 
and
834 
HR 6 PCS 
(3) establish a program for reducing the back-
log of geothermal lease application pending on Janu-
ary 1, 2005, by 90 percent within the 5-year period 
beginning on the date of enactment of this Act, in-
cluding, as necessary, by— 
(A) issuing leases, rejecting lease applica-
tions for failure to comply with the provisions 
of the regulations under which they were filed, 
or determining that an original applicant (or 
the applicant’s assigns, heirs, or estate) is no 
longer interested in pursuing the lease applica-
tion; 
(B) making diligent efforts to directly con-
tact the lease applicants (including their heirs, 
assigns, or estates); and 
(C) ensuring that no lease application is 
rejected except in compliance with all require-
ments regarding diligent direct contact. 
(c) DATA RETRIEVAL SYSTEM.—The memorandum 
of understanding shall establish a joint data retrieval sys-
tem that is capable of tracking lease and permit applica-
tions and providing to the applicant information as to 
their status within the Departments of the Interior and 
Agriculture, including an estimate of the time required for 
administrative action.