,i #aacth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #bjjd ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,may #ae1 #bjac ,mr4 ,simpson 7for himself and ,mr4 ,de,fazio7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,natural ,resources ,a ,,bill ,to expand geothermal production1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,geothermal ,production ,expansion ,act of #bjac4 #b4 ,noncompetitive leasing of adjoining areas for development of geothermal resources ,section #d7;b7 of the ,geothermal ,steam ,act of #aigj 7#cj ,u4,s4,c4 #ajjc7;b77 is amended by adding at the end the following3 7#d7 ,adjoining land 7,a7 ,definitions ,in this paragraph3 7i7 ,fair market value per acre ,the term fair market value per acre means a dollar amount per acre that-- 7,i7 except as provided in this clause1 shall be equal to the market value per acre 7taking into account the determination under subparagraph 7,b77iii7 regarding a valid discovery on the adjoining land7 as determined by the ,secretary under regulations issued under this paragraph2 7,,ii7 shall be determined by the ,secretary with respect to a lease under this paragraph1 by not later than the end of the #ahj-;day period beginning on the date the ,secretary receives an application for the lease2 and 7,,iii7 shall be not less than the greater of-- 7aa7 #d times the median amount paid per acre for all land leased under this ,act during the preceding year2 or 7bb7 #ej4 7ii7 ,industry standards ,the term industry standards means the standards by which a qualified geothermal professional assesses whether downhole or flowing temperature measurements with indications of permeability are sufficient to produce energy from geothermal resources1 as determined through flow or injection testing or measurement of lost circulation while drilling4 7iii7 ,qualified ,federal land ,the term qualified ,federal land means land that is otherwise available for leasing under this ,act4 7iv7 ,qualified geothermal professional ,the term qualified geothermal professional means an individual who is an engineer or geoscientist in good professional standing with at least #e years of experience in geothermal exploration1 development1 or project assessment4 7v7 ,qualified lessee ,the term qualified lessee means a person that may hold a geothermal lease under this ,act 7including applicable regulations74 7vi7 ,valid discovery ,the term valid discovery means a discovery of a geothermal resource by a new or existing slim hole or production well1 that exhibits downhole or flowing temperature measurements with indications of permeability that are sufficient to meet industry standards4 7,b7 ,authority ,an area of qualified ,federal land that adjoins other land for which a qualified lessee holds a legal right to develop geothermal resources may be available for a noncompetitive lease under this section to the qualified lessee at the fair market value per acre1 if-- 7i7 the area of qualified ,federal land-- 7,i7 consists of not less than #a acre and not more than #fdj acres2 and 7,,ii7 is not already leased under this ,act or nominated to be leased under subsection 7a72 7ii7 the qualified lessee has not previously received a noncompetitive lease under this paragraph in connection with the valid discovery for which data has been submitted under clause 7iii77,i72 and 7iii7 sufficient geological and other technical data prepared by a qualified geothermal professional has been submitted by the qualified lessee to the applicable ,federal land management agency that would lead individuals who are experienced in the subject matter to believe that-- 7,i7 there is a valid discovery of geothermal resources on the land for which the qualified lessee holds the legal right to develop geothermal resources2 and 7,,ii7 that thermal feature extends into the adjoining areas4 7,c7 ,determination of fair market value 7i7 ,in general ,the ,secretary shall-- 7,i7 publish a notice of any request to lease land under this paragraph2 7,,ii7 determine fair market value for purposes of this paragraph in accordance with procedures for making those determinations that are established by regulations issued by the ,secretary2 7,,iii7 provide to a qualified lessee and publish1 with an opportunity for public comment for a period of #cj days1 any proposed determination under this subparagraph of the fair market value of an area that the qualified lessee seeks to lease under this paragraph2 and 7,,iv7 provide to the qualified lessee and any adversely affected party the opportunity to appeal the final determination of fair market value in an administrative proceeding before the applicable ,federal land management agency1 in accordance with applicable law 7including regulations74 7ii7 ,limitation on nomination ,after publication of a notice of request to lease land under this paragraph1 the ,secretary may not accept under subsection 7a7 any nomination of the land for leasing unless the request has been denied or withdrawn4 7iii7 ,annual rental ,for purposes of section #e7;a77#c71 a lease awarded under this paragraph shall be considered a lease awarded in a competitive lease sale4 7,d7 ,regulations ,not later than #bgj days after the date of enactment of the ,geothermal ,production ,expansion ,act of #bjac1 the ,secretary shall issue regulations to carry out this paragraph4 4