By Paul Boerger
Wednesday, October 5, 2005 1:07 PM PDT
Mt Shasta News 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; and
-- 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.