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New legislation to make geothermal permitting easier in New Mexico

New legislation to make geothermal permitting easier in New Mexico Animas, New Mexico (source: flickr/ BAlvarius, creative commons)
Alexander Richter 7 Mar 2012

The U.S. state of New Mexico passes new legislation that will make the permitting process for geothermal project development easier. The aim is to help the state be competitive on the exploration for utility-scale geothermal projects in the state.

Reported from the U.S. this morning, the state of New Mexico has ratified a new legislation that is aimed at making the permitting process for geothermal project development easier for developers.

The piece of legislation was signed into law by the Governor of the state Susana Martinez, with the aim to increase renewable energy development and production in New Mexico.

In a statment Gov. Martinez said: “she hopes the new law will send a clear signal that New Mexico is open for responsible energy development and ready to compete with surrounding states.”

The new legislation will make permitting easier for companies as they will be able to avoid having to ask for additional permits from the state engineer’s office.

“The law includes several groundwater protections, and it allows for water rights holders to file court actions if they believe their rights are being impaired by a geothermal developer.

State officials say the law will help as interest grows in exploring the potential for utility-scale geothermal projects in New Mexico.”

Source: CBS News