Lemhi County Informed

  What began as a question about AI data centers has turned into a much more fundamental investigation: Are all of the acres BLM plans to offer for geothermal leasing in Lemhi County actually supposed to be available for geothermal leasing in the first place? That question is no longer theoretical. BLM has now advised that—following research by one of our Lemhi County Informed members, which we documented in our previous article —approximately 800 acres around Sharkey Hot Springs (*see maps at the end of this article for reference) are now being removed from the upcoming lease sale after the historic CLOSED-to-geothermal-leasing decision was brought to BLM’s attention. This is a genuinely positive outcome. It shows what can happen when careful research, informed community advocacy, and open communication with our public agencies work together. We especially want to recognize the Salmon BLM office. When the discrepancy at Sharkey was brought to their attention, they took it serious...

  Over the past several weeks, Lemhi County Informed has been digging through decades of government records to better understand the three Lemhi County parcels scheduled for the November 17 geothermal lease sale . At the same time, many residents have been asking another question: Could this geothermal development have any connection to a future AI or other large data center in Lemhi County? This article provides an update on both issues. First: the three geothermal lease parcels What started as a fairly simple question — What protections already exist on this land? — led to something much more significant. Buried in the old Lemhi County planning record was a very specific decision involving approximately 800 acres at Sharkey Hot Springs . And it raised a serious question about land that is currently being offered for geothermal leasing. What was found at Sharkey Hot Springs Historic BLM planning records specifically state that an additional 800 acres at Sharkey Hot Springs would ...