global geothermal news: october, page-32

The Brueau of Land Management oversees 118 million acres of that land, and the National Forest Service manages 79 million acres.

Kempthorne predicted 270 Western communities could benefit directly from geothermal resources in 12 Western states, where most of those resources are under federal land.

The plan calls for amending 122 BLM land-use plans to allow geothermal power development that could provide as much as 5,540 megawatts of new electricity for 5.5 million homes by 2015. Kempthorne predicted that by 2025, geothermal energy could bring electricity 12 million homes.

"Geothermal will play a key role in powering America's energy future," Kempthorne said in a telephone news conference.

Officials named 18 areas in Utah that could be affected, including Park City, St. George, Box Elder County, an area that borders Zion National Park and more remote locations such as the Book Cliffs that span Carbon and Grand counties, as well as the Henry Mountains in Garfield County.