It was steam power that originally conquered the West and it might just be steam power that saves it. Fed on trees and water, the first "iron horses," or steam locomotives, forged their way across the Rockies opening up economic opportunities and building a precedent of fossil fuel dependence. And now steam power is once again in the headlines. Only this time there’s no smoke and no fire, only an almost inexhaustible supply of clean energy.

Geothermal Power, termed the prolific renewable source that most people have never heard of by LA Times reporter Marla Dickerson, is energy that is generated by heat stored in the earth. The most common technique of harnessing this energy is to drill into underground reservoirs tapping steam and very hot water that are used primarily to drive power turbines. And most importantly Geothermal Power is an energy source is that it is both fully renewable and clean – greenhouse gas emissions are minimal.

However, geothermal energy has until now been an under-exploited resource. The reservoirs can be both hard to locate and expensive to reach, and these factors have played an important role in the fact that the U.S. currently derives less than 0.5% of its electricity from geothermal energy sources.

But now that’s all about to change. In late October, Secretary of Interior Dirk Kempthorne announced that more than 190 million acres of federal land in 12 western states would be opened for development of geothermal energy resources.

"Geothermal energy will play a key role in powering America's energy future, which requires a wide variety of energy sources," Kempthorne said in a conference call with reporters.

Kempthorne also predicted that the plans could increase the nation's supply of geothermal energy to power more than 5.5 million homes within seven years and 12 million homes by 2025. The Geothermal Energy Association said new projects are underway in Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.

"This is the new gold rush," said Mark Taylor, a geothermal analyst with the consulting firm New Energy Finance in Washington. A powerful mix of factors have led to the current support to geothermal energy production; the financial meltdown on Wall Street, soaring oil prices, the volatility of the natural gas market, and concern about global warming to name but a few. Backed up with federal tax credits and state laws mandating the wider use of renewable energy the prospects have never looked better.

Relative to non-renewable energy sources there are, however, some environmental concerns associated with geothermal energy. Hot water from the deep below the earth’s surface contains trace amounts of toxins such as mercury and arsenic and care has to be taken with respect to where the water is discharged. This has raised the concerns of groups such as the Wilderness Society who, although supporting the development of geothermal programs, are questioning the speed at which changes are taking place. Lack of adequate planning with respect to waste disposal has been the downfall of many operations that seek to use underground resources.

A rapid transition away from fossil fuels is important but not at the expense of our clean air and water and our public lands," said Alex Daue, outreach coordinator of the Wilderness Society's Bureau of Land Management Action Center. "A more measured approach would be better for the public and our public lands in the long run."

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