R850-27-500. Geothermal Steam Lease Application Process

1. Applications for leases, except in the case of competitive bid filing, are received for filing in the office of the agency during office hours. Except as provided, all the applications received by personal delivery over the counter, shall be immediately stamped with the exact date and time of filing. All applications presented for filing at the opening of the office for business on any business day shall be stamped received as of 8 a.m. on that day. All applications received in the first delivery of the U.S. Mail of each business day shall be stamped received as of 8 a.m. on that day. The time indicated on the time stamp is deemed the time of filing unless the agency determines that the application is materially deficient in any particular or particulars. If an application is determined to be deficient, it will be returned to the applicant.

2. Except in cases of competitive bid filing, if two or more applications for the same lease contain identical bids and bear a time stamp showing the applications were filed at the same time, the agency will award the lease by public drawing or oral bidding.

3. Competitive Bid Filing.

(a) The minimum acceptable bid for competitive bid filing of applications for a lease shall be at least equal to the rental rate for the first year of the lease.

(b) Notices of the offering of lands for competitive bid filing will run for a period of not less than fifteen (15) consecutive days after the notice is posted in the agency's office.

(c) Where applicants wish to submit applications for competitive bid, such applications shall be submitted in separately sealed envelopes and marked for competitive bid filing.

4. If an application or any part thereof is rejected, any money tendered for rental for the rejected portion shall be refunded or credited.

5. Application Withdrawal.

(a) Should an applicant desire to withdraw his application, the applicant must submit a written request to the agency. If the request is received prior to the time the agency approves the application, all money tendered by the applicant, except the filing fee, shall be refunded. If the request is received after approval of the application, then, unless the applicant accepts the offered lease, all money tendered is forfeited to the agency, unless otherwise approved by the director, for good cause shown.

(b) Applicants desiring to withdraw an application which has been filed under the competitive bid filing rules above, must submit a written request to the agency. If the request is received before sealed bids for rental have been opened, all money tendered by the applicant, except the filing fee, shall be refunded. If the request is received after sealed bids for rental have been opened, and if the applicant is awarded the bid, then unless the applicant accepts the offered lease, all money tendered shall be forfeited to the agency, unless otherwise approved by the director for good cause shown.