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consider public comments that specifically address the pre-
ferred action and that are filed within 20 days after publi-
cation of a draft environmental assessment or draft envi-
ronmental impact statement. Notwithstanding any other
law, compliance with this subsection is deemed to satisfy
section 102(2) of the National Environmental Policy Act
of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4332(2)) and the applicable regula-
tions and administrative guidelines with respect to pro-
posed renewable energy projects.
(d) RENEWABLE ENERGY PROJECT DEFINED.—For
purposes of this section, the term ‘‘renewable energy
project’’—
(1) means any proposal to utilize an energy
source other than nuclear power, coal, oil, or natural
gas; and
(2) includes the use of wind, solar, geothermal,
biomass, or tidal forces to generate energy.
SEC. 1703. SENSE OF CONGRESS REGARDING GENERATION
CAPACITY OF ELECTRICITY FROM RENEW-
ABLE 
ENERGY 
RESOURCES 
ON 
PUBLIC
LANDS.
It is the sense of the Congress that the Secretary of
the Interior should, before the end of the 10-year period
beginning on the date of enactment of this Act, seek to
have approved non-hydropower renewable energy projects
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located on the public lands with a generation capacity of
at least 10,000 megawatts of electricity.
TITLE XVIII—GEOTHERMAL
ENERGY
SEC. 1801. SHORT TITLE.
This title may be cited as the ‘‘John Rishel Geo-
thermal Steam Act Amendments of 2005’’.
SEC. 1802. COMPETITIVE LEASE SALE REQUIREMENTS.
Section 4 of the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970 (30
U.S.C. 1003) is amended to read as follows:
‘‘SEC. 4. LEASING PROCEDURES.
‘‘(a) NOMINATIONS.—The Secretary shall accept
nominations of lands available for leasing at any time from
qualified companies and individuals under this Act.
‘‘(b) COMPETITIVE LEASE SALE REQUIRED.—The
Secretary shall hold a competitive lease sale at least once
every 2 years for lands in a State which has nominations
pending under subsection (a) if such lands are otherwise
available for leasing. Lands that are subject to a mining
claim for which a plan of operations has been approved
by the relevant Federal land management agency are not
available for competitive leasing.
‘‘(c) NONCOMPETITIVE LEASING.—
‘‘(1) 
REQUIREMENT.—The 
Secretary 
shall
make available for a period of 2 years for non-
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competitive leasing any tract for which a competitive
lease sale is held, but for which the Secretary does
not receive any bids in a competitive lease sale.
‘‘(2) STATES WITHOUT NOMINATIONS.—In any
State for which there are no nominations received
under subsection (a) and having a total acreage
under lease or the subject of an application for lease
of less than 10,000 acres, the Secretary may des-
ignate lands available for 2 years for noncompetitive
leasing.
‘‘(d) LEASES SOLD AS A BLOCK.—If information is
available to the Secretary indicating a geothermal resource
that could be produced as 1 unit can reasonably be ex-
pected to underlie more than 1 parcel to be offered in a
competitive lease sale, the parcels for such a resource may
be offered for bidding as a block in the competitive lease
sale.
‘‘(e) AREA SUBJECT TO LEASE FOR GEOTHERMAL
RESOURCES.—A geothermal lease for the use of geo-
thermal resources shall embrace not more than the
amount of acreage determined by the Secretary to be ap-
propriate.’’.
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SEC. 1803. DIRECT USE.
(a) FEES FOR DIRECT USE.—Section 5 of the Geo-
thermal Steam Act of 1970 (30 U.S.C. 1004) is
amended—
(1) in paragraph (c) by redesignating subpara-
graphs (1) and (2) as subparagraphs (A) and (B);
(2) by redesignating paragraphs (a) through (d)
in order as paragraphs (1) through (4);
(3) by inserting ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—’’ after
‘‘SEC. 5.’’; and
(4) by adding at the end the following:
‘‘(b) FEES FOR DIRECT USE.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding subsection
(a)(1), with respect to the direct use of geothermal
resources for purposes other than the commercial
generation of electricity, the Secretary of the Inte-
rior shall establish a schedule of fees and collect fees
pursuant to such a schedule in lieu of royalties. Not-
withstanding section 102(a)(9) of the Federal Land
Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C.
1701(a)(9)), the schedule of fees shall be based upon
comparable non-Federal fees charged for direct use
of geothermal resources within the State concerned.
For direct use by a State or local government for
public purposes, the fee charged shall be nominal.
Leases in existence on the date of enactment of this
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subsection shall be modified in order to reflect the
provisions of this subsection.
‘‘(2) FINAL REGULATION.—In issuing any final
regulation establishing a schedule of fees under this
subsection, the Secretary shall seek—
‘‘(A) to provide lessees with a simplified
administrative system;
‘‘(B) to encourage development of this un-
derutilized energy resource on the Federal es-
tate; and
‘‘(C) to contribute to sustainable economic
development opportunities for host commu-
nities.’’.
(b) LEASING FOR DIRECT USE.—Section 4 of the
Geothermal Steam Act of 1970 (30 U.S.C. 1003) is fur-
ther amended by adding at the end the following:
‘‘(f) LEASING FOR DIRECT USE OF GEOTHERMAL
RESOURCES.—Lands leased under this Act exclusively for
direct use of geothermal resources shall be leased to any
qualified applicant who first applies for such a lease under
regulations issued by the Secretary, if—
‘‘(1) the Secretary publishes a notice of the
lands proposed for leasing 60 days before the date
of the issuance of the lease; and