The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is a bureau within the US Department of the Interior (DOI), tasked with managing energy and mineral resources on federal lands. Of particular note, the BLM Rural Energy Program, in partnership with the State of Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys (DGGS), a division of ADNR and with support from the USGS and the DOE, applies energy research to the energy needs of remote Alaskan villages, investigating the potential of utilizing local energy resources as an alternative energy source.
Bureau of Land Management Triangle
Image: Wikimedia Commons
One current effort under the Rural Energy Program involves the investigation of coalbed natural gas (CBNG), utilized on a small-scale level, for local energy production; active exploratory drilling and resource analysis being conducted in Wainwright. Another current effort involves investigating geothermal potential for community-based utilization.
BLM energy publications and research can be found at http://www.blm.gov/ak/st/en/prog/energy/oil_gas/energy_pubs.html.