43 C.F.R. § 3207.12 – What work am I required to perform each year for BLM to continue the initial and additional extensions of the primary term of my lease?

(a) To continue the initial extension of the primary term of your lease, in each of lease years 11, 12, 13, and 14, you must expend a minimum of $15 per acre (or fraction thereof) per year in development activities that establish a geothermal potential or confirm the existence of producible geothermal resources. Such activities include, but are not limited to:
1. (1) Geologic investigation and analysis;
2. (2) Drilling temperature gradient wells;
3. (3) Core drilling;
4. (4) Geochemical or geophysical surveys;
5. (5) Drilling production or injection wells;
6. (6) Reservoir testing; or
7. (7) Other activities approved by BLM.
(b) For BLM to grant the additional extension of the primary term of your lease, in year 15 you must expend a minimum of $15 per acre (or fraction thereof) in development activities that provide additional geologic or reservoir information, such as those described in paragraph (a) of this section.
(c) To continue the additional extension of the primary term of your lease, in each of lease years 16, 17, 18, and 19, you must expend a minimum of $25 per acre (or fraction thereof) per year in development activities that provide additional geologic or reservoir information, such as those described in paragraph (a) of this section.
(d) In lieu of the work requirements in paragraphs (a), (b), and (c) of this section, you may:
1. (1) Submit documentation to BLM that you have produced or utilized geothermal resources in commercial quantities; or
2. (2) Make a payment to BLM equivalent to the required annual work expenditure such that the total of the payment and the value of the work you perform equals $15 or $25 per acre per year of land included in your lease, as applicable. BLM may limit the number of years that it will accept such payments if it determines that further payments in lieu of the work requirements would impair achievement of diligent development of the geothermal resources.
(e) Under paragraph (a) or paragraph (b) of this section, if you expend an amount greater than the amount specified, you may apply any payment in excess of the specified amount to any subsequent year within the applicable 5-year extension of the primary term. An excess payment during the first 5-year extension period may not be applied to any year within the second 5-year extension period.
(f) You must submit information to BLM showing that you have complied with the applicable requirements in this section no later than:
1. (1) 60 days after the end of years 11, 12, 13, and 14;
2. (2) 60 days before the end of year 15; and
3. (3) 60 days after the end of years 16, 17, 18, and 19.
(g) In your submission, describe your activities by type, location, date(s) conducted, and the dollar amount spent on those operations. Include all geologic information obtained from your activities in your report. We must approve the type of work done and the expenditures claimed in your report before we can credit them toward your requirements. We will notify you if you have not met the requirements.
(h) If you do not comply with the requirements of this section in any year of a 5-year extension of the primary term, BLM will terminate your lease at the end of that year unless you qualify for a drilling extension under § 3207.13.
(i) Every three calendar years the dollar amount of the work requirements and the amount to be paid in lieu of such work required by this section will automatically be updated. The update will be based on the change in the Implicit Price Deflator-Gross Domestic Product for those three years.