Administration of the Geothermal Resources Act shall be based on the principle of multiple use of state land and resources and shall allow coexistence of other leases on the same lands for deposits of other minerals, and the existence of leases issued pursuant to the Geothermal Resources Act shall not preclude other uses of the land covered thereby. Geothermal resources may be administered as a renewable energy resource, in which case any leases for and regulations of a geothermal resource as a renewable energy resource shall require that the geothermal resource not be diminished beneath applicable natural seasonal fluctuations in the measurable quantity, quality or temperature of any area classified as a known geothermal resources field. However, operations under other leases or for other uses shall not unreasonably interfere with or endanger operations under any lease issued pursuant to the Geothermal Resources Act, nor shall operations under leases issued pursuant to the Geothermal Resources Act unreasonably interfere with or endanger operations under any lease issued pursuant to any other law. The Geothermal Resources Act shall not be construed to supersede the authority that any state department or agency has with respect to the management, protection and utilization of the state lands and resources under its jurisdiction.

History: 1953 Comp., § 7-15-3, enacted by Laws 1967, ch. 158, § 3; 2013, ch. 125, § 2.

The 2013 amendment, effective June 14, 2013, provided for conditions of leases of geothermal resources to sustain the resource; and added the second sentence.