Geothermal Project Put on Hold
By Paul Boerger, Mount Shasta Herald
October 5, 2005

After hearing numerous objections from the Telephone Flat Geothermal Project Oversight Committee at a meeting September 29th in Yreka, the US Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management have put on hold Calpine's plan to begin work this week on geothermal projects at Medicine Lake.

"In light of the issues brought up by the Committee, we felt further review was necessary," said BLM public affairs officer Jeff Fontana.

Fontana did not know when the review would be completed.

"We're very disappointed," said Calpine director of project development Andrew Whittcome, who represented the company at the meeting. "We're working to satisfy the residual BLM and Forest Service requirements."

Committee member Peggy Risch of the Mount Shasta Bioregional Ecology Center agrees with the decision.

"We're very pleased the agencies took the position they did because it's justified by the lack of plans," Risch said. "We will continue to monitor the plans."

Committee members spoke at length against Calpine beginning work this week. They cited inadequate notice of the mitigation plans and inadequate mitigations. Committee members claimed that without finalized plans, no work, however small, should begin.

The work scheduled to be discussed was Calpine's 2005 plans to clear four sites of timber, three for wells and one for a power plant, and build a 300 to 400 yard dirt road to the sites. The discussion, however, went far beyond the 2005 work and delved into the many issues surrounding the project.

Calpine's plans to build two 49 megawatt geothermal electrical generating plants, called Fourmile Hill and Telephone Flat, near Medicine Lake, have encountered resistance from Native Americans, environmental groups and local residents.

Committee members include representatives from Pit River Tribe, Klamath Tribe, Shasta Nation, Native Coalition, Save Medicine Lake Coalition, Mount Shasta Bioregional Ecology Center, Medicine Lake Homeowners Association and county administrator Howard Moody representing Siskiyou County.

BLM representative Tim Burke led the meeting.

Burke explained the committee's purpose was to monitor and evaluate whether Calpine was adhering to the conditions of the 2002 Record of Decision that approved the plants, monitor data and to comment on compliance with the mitigation plans.

Burke noted the committee's function was not to judge the adequacy of the plans, but to monitor compliance.

Although Burke attempted to narrow the discussion to the 2005 site clearing work, committee members opened up a host of other issues on the project.

Burke said before the meeting the committee had no voting power nor could it make official recommendations.

Vocal Committee representatives agreed on two major points:

-- The final over 100 page mitigation plans were only delivered to committee members by the BLM 96 hours before the meeting, leaving no time for a thorough review; and

-- Those plans the members had reviewed were inadequate and no work should start until adequate plans are finalized.

Committee members said some of the information was so complex it would need review from outside consultants.

Whittcome took the podium at the beginning of the meeting, outlining the 2005 schedule and answering questions.

Whittcome said the four sites to be cleared encompass approximately 30 acres, and the roads would require no grading or excavation.

In response to questions, Whittcome said Calpine had confirmed there was enough hot water to justify construction, that an acid mixture to crack underground rock to open up vents could not get into the water supply, and that although sites would be cleared no logs would be removed until spring.

Burke noted the committee's role was to monitor data, and he said that since no work has been done there is no data to monitor. But the committee requested numerous concerns be placed in the meeting record.

Among the concerns committee members voiced were:

-- The wildlife plan failed to adequately survey for northern spotted owls and goshawks;

-- Native American tribal members were not involved in the archeology plans;

-- The hazardous materials plan lacked a diesel fuel spill plan;

-- The hydrology plan is inadequate;

-- The natural growth well reclamation plan is inadequate.

Siskiyou County administrator Howard Moody said the committee should be looking only at the issue of clearing for the wells and power plant.

"We've wasted a lot of time covering things that we're not at that point yet," Moody said.

Mount Shasta Bioregional Ecology Center executive director Michelle Berdischevsky disagreed.

"The plans need to be in place before anything starts. All the plans need to be in place," Berdischevsky said.

In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, and as defined under the provisions of "fair use", any copyrighted material herein is distributed without profit or payment for non-profit research and for educational use by our membership.

Geothermal Project Comes to Halt for 2005
By Paul Boerger, Mount Shasta Herald
October 11, 2005

Work scheduled for 2005 for the Calpine geothermal project at Medicine Lake has been halted by the US Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management in order to review concerns raised by the Telephone Flat Geothermal Project Oversight Committee at a meeting September 29th in Yreka.

The work had been temporarily halted after the meeting. The USFS and the BLM announced last week that no work will be done this year in order to further review the issues.

”Due to the need for further review, the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management have decided to suspend the 2005 work scheduled for the project,“ said northern California BLM public affairs officer Jeff Fontana.

Fontana did not offer details as to which concerns contributed to the decision.

Calpine's plans to build two 49 megawatt geothermal electrical generating plants, called Fourmile Hill and Telephone Flat, near Medicine Lake, have encountered resistance from Native Americans, environmental groups and local residents.

Calpine's 2005 plans were to clear approximately 30 acres at four sites of timber, three for wells and one for a power plant, and build a 300 to 400 yard dirt road to the sites.

Among the concerns Committee members voiced were:

-- The final over 100 page mitigation plans were only delivered to Committee members by the BLM 96 hours before the meeting, leaving no time for a thorough review;

-- Those plans the members had reviewed were inadequate and no work should start until adequate plans are finalized;

-- The wildlife plan failed to adequately survey for northern spotted owls and goshawks;

-- Native American tribal members were not involved in the archeology plans;

-- The hazardous materials plan lacked a diesel fuel spill plan;

-- The hydrology plan is inadequate;

-- The natural growth well reclamation plan is inadequate.

Committee members include representatives from Pit River Tribe, Klamath Tribe, Shasta Nation, Native Coalition, Save Medicine Lake Coalition, Mount Shasta Bioregional Ecology Center, Medicine Lake Homeowners Association and county administrator Howard Moody representing Siskiyou County.

”I praise the federal agencies for their decision,“ said Mount Shasta Bioregional Ecology Center representative Peggy Risch. ”The reversal of the original denial of the project placed additional conditions on the project. The public is very appreciative to the BLM and USFS for holding Calpine to the conditions for approval.“

A recently rejected federal lawsuit to stop the geothermal projects is under appeal.

A second lawsuit by another group has been filed.

Geothermal energy is produced by tapping underground reservoirs of hot water created by molten magma deep within the earth's crust.

Steam is separated from the water and used to turn an electricity-producing turbine. Geothermal wells, as they are called, can reach depths of 10,000 feet to tap the thermal reservoirs. The excess water is reinjected back into the ground to replenish the geothermal reservoir.

According to the California Energy Commission, 49 megawatts produces enough energy for about 49,000 typical homes.

Opponents' issues include desecration of sacred Native American grounds and culture, noise, loss of viewshed from drilling towers and potential chemical releases from sump ponds that will hold water brought up from the drilling.

Calpine claims the energy is essentially clean and renewable. Calpine also says that emissions from geothermal energy as compared to fossil fuel emissions, such as carbon dioxide, are insignificant. Calpine says that geothermal energy is a better alternative to nuclear and coal fired plants.

In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, and as defined under the provisions of "fair use", any copyrighted material herein is distributed without profit or payment for non-profit research and for educational use by our membership.