You must have a commercial use permit approved by BLM before you begin commercial operations from a Federal lease, a Federal unit, or a utilization facility.

Submit a completed and signed commercial permit form, to BLM, containing the following information:

(a) The design specifications, and the inspection and calibration schedule of production, injection, and royalty meters;

(b) A schematic diagram of the utilization site or individual well, showing the location of each production and royalty meter. If the sales point is located off the utilization site, give us a generalized schematic diagram of the electrical transmission or pipeline system, including meter locations;

(c) A copy of the sales contract for the sale and/or utilization of geothermal resources;

(d) A description and analysis of reservoir, production, and injection characteristics, including the flow rates, temperatures, and pressures of each production and injection well;

(e) A schematic diagram of each production and injection well showing the wellhead configuration, including meters;

(f) A schematic flow diagram of the utilization facility, including interconnections with other facilities, if applicable;

(g) A description of the utilization process in sufficient detail to enable BLM to determine whether the resource will be utilized in a manner consistent with law and regulations;

(h) The planned safety provisions for emergency shutdown to protect public health, safety, property, and the environment. This should include a schedule for the testing and maintenance of safety devices;

(i) The environmental and operational parameters that will be monitored during the operation of the facility and/or well(s); and

(j) Any additional information or data that we may require.

(a) When BLM receives your completed and signed commercial use permit application, we will make sure it is complete and review it for compliance with § 3200.4.

(b) If another Federal agency manages the surface of your lease, we will consult with that agency before we approve your commercial use permit.

(c) We will review your commercial use permit to make sure it conforms with your utilization plan and any mitigation measures we developed while reviewing your plan.

(d) We will check your commercial use permit for technical adequacy, and will ensure that your meters meet the accuracy standards (see §§ 3275.14 and 3275.15).

(e) If we need any further information to complete our review, we will contact you in writing and suspend our review until we receive the information.

(f) After our review, we will notify you whether your permit has been approved or denied, as well as any conditions of approval.

Yes, but we may limit your operations to a prescribed set of activities and a set period of time, during which we will give you a chance to show you can operate within environmental and operational standards, based on actual facility and well data you collect. Send us a Sundry Notice to get BLM approval for extending your permit. If during this set time period you still cannot demonstrate your ability to operate within the required standards, we will terminate your authorization. You must then stop all operations and restore the surface to the standards we set in the termination notice.