§22-33-2. Legislative findings; declaration of policy.

(a) The Legislature finds that:

(1) A geothermal resource is a reservoir inside the Earth from which heat can be extracted economically compared to other conventional sources of energy and used for generating electric power or any other suitable industrial, commercial, agricultural, residential, or domestic application in the future;

(2) Geothermal resources vary widely from one location to another depending on the temperature and depth of the resource; and

(3) The secretary should have broad authority to develop a regulatory program for geothermal resources to meet the economic needs of the state and to protect the public interest.

(b) The Legislature declares that the establishment of a new regulatory program to address the exploration, development, and production of geothermal resources in this state is in the public interest and should be done in a manner that protects the environment and our economy for current and future generations.