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Geothermal understanding signed by Council, supported by Water District |
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Friday, 28 March 2008 |
supported by Water District
By Lara Kirkner
Mammoth Times Staff Writer
A Memorandum of Understanding that slid easily through Town Council's fingers stuck fast in the Mammoth Community Water District Board's clutches.
The MOU was to be an agreement between the Town, the Water District, and Iceland America Energy that everyone was on board to move forward with the exploration of the feasibility of geothermal heating in Mammoth Lakes.
Rick Phelps, Executive Director of the local High Sierra Energy Foundation, excitedly brought the MOU forward, but the Water District Board was hesitant to sign it.
Meant to be a non-binding agreement, the Board and its legal counsel indicated the way the MOU was worded in last week's draft did not clearly make it so.
"A lot of things in here are putting the cart before the horse," said Steve Kronick, the Board's attorney.
While supportive of the idea of exploring potential geothermal heating in Mammoth, the Board wanted to make sure its hands are not tied to any financial responsibilities at this time. They are also concerned about risking the town's water supply.
"There used to be a pond right next to the 395, but when the geothermal plant was put in it went away and has never come back," said Board member Tom Cage. "I would hate to see Lake Mary go away."
Lake Mary, near Lakeview at the Chutes, would be the location where Iceland America would perform their test runs to see if Mammoth is truly hot below its surface.
"They would just be taking heat out," Phelps said.
Phelps put pressure on the Board to at least come up with a motion that said they support the exploration even if they wanted to work on the wording of the MOU before signing it, because at this time Iceland America is willing to foot the bill that would pay for these studies to be done, with or without the grants that Phelps is looking into.
"Iceland America gives us a third party to foot the bill and gives us a chance to do something now," Phelps said, in reference to the fact that geothermal heating has been discussed for decades but has not previously had the funding to move forward.
The Board, seeing the need for action, agreed to support exploration and potential delivery of geothermal heating in Mammoth with Iceland America footing the bill that would accrue from Kronick's time spent to reword the MOU to the Board's liking. The motion passed 4-0.
Doug Jung, one member of the public, also raised many concerns related to the environmental aspects of the project but the Board assured him that if the project moves forward, all environmental concerns will be fully vetted through the CEQA (California Environmental Quality Act) process. At this point someone just needs to pin down whether Mammoth even has the capability to pursue geothermal heating.
According to its Web site, www.icelandamericaenergy.com, "Iceland America Energy Inc., is a geothermal energy developer that brings Icelandic world class geothermal technical expertise and more than 70 years experience to North America by harnessing the Earth's power and providing renewable and sustainable electricity, heat and hot water for domestic consumption, industrial uses and municipal services."
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 03 April 2008 )
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