A.  The State Department of Conservation shall be responsible for the effective management and coordination of a state geothermal and geopressure energy research and development program.

B.  Such program shall include:

(1)  the determination and evaluation of the resource base;

(2)  research and development with respect to exploration, extraction, and utilization technologies, which shall include research toward development of reliable predictive methods and control techniques for the production of geothermal and geopressure resources from reservoirs or aquifers;

(3)  determination of the environmental ramifications of the production of this energy resource; and

(4)  examination of the legal, social, and economic consequences of development of this resource for the purpose of developing policy and providing a framework of policy alternatives for the commercial utilization of this resource.

Added by Acts 1975, No. 735, §1.