Energy policy — geothermal: November 10 is the next try by the BLM to lease parcels near Mt. Princeton Hot Springs
September 16, 2010
From The Denver Post (Mark Jaffe):
The Bureau of Land Management said it will offer a 799-acre parcel near Mount Princeton Hot Springs Resort in Chaffee County for geothermal development Nov. 10. The lease sale was postponed in February after a volley of opposition and questions about whether the picturesque and narrow Chalk Creek Valley was an appropriate site for a geothermal power plant. It had been delayed earlier by questions from the state about jurisdiction over geothermal development — which involves water wells.
On Friday, the BLM issued a new environmental assessment that responded to 287 protest letters and issued about a dozen “stipulations” limiting lease activity and protecting wildlife and water. “We wanted to be sure to respond to the issues raised by residents,” said Steve Hall, a spokesman for the BLM. “This is the first lease sale in Colorado, and we had to do a better job of explaining.”
