Even CA with some 40 million people, has a 'grid' or net which can generally supply power, already.

I mean, what gets replaced? Coal-fired plants? Natural-gas fired plants? Natural gas is 'geothermal', as well. Nuclear plants? Hydro-electric plants?

What's left? How many actually burn oil?

You can't use geothermal to fly Congressman and Senators around in midair - though there are always those jokes. You can't fight a war with geothermal. You can't manufacture the huge range of petro-chemicals, with geothermal, save as a means to assist manufacture from oil. You can't even run wind farms with geothermal, nor solar panel farms. You can't drive your car with it. But maybe you can heat your house? I don't know.

I just don't see the 'vast demand' suggested in the article, not even in this case with government creating the 'demand'. Perhaps if you monetized it and started trading on speculative markets, like oil, you can see a sudden surge in interest in geothermal. But that wouldn't come from those interested in owning hot air, but just making money off it.