ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVITIES FOR THREE GEOTHERMAL RESOURCE EXPLORATION WELL PROJECTS IN THE GEYSERS-CALISTOGA KNOWN GEOTHERMAL RESOURCE AREA, CALIFORNI

In the Geysers-Calistoga Known Geothermal Resource Area, California, conflicts between geothermal energy resource development projects and alternative land uses have focused critical attention on the entire geothermal resource development process. Since geothermal resource exploration well drilling is the first significant step toward development, government regulatory agencies and project neighbors have special concern for any proposed drilling. This report describes how one geothermal company attempted to turn this critical attention into a potential business advantage through the knowledgeable and creative use of environmental information.;Environmental monitoring of the Howard Hot Springs Project dealt with the project's neighbors' concern for noise impacts and degradation of nearby hot springs. Although the company believed that the operations would create no significant noise impacts, mitigation measures and monitoring programs were instituted. Monitoring of nearby hot springs was also undertaken to collect detailed physical and chemical background data. These voluntary environmental monitoring programs were designed to be both environmentally effective and highly visible to the project's neighbors. This visibility helped to demonstrate to the project's neighbors that the company was committed to protecting the environment from adverse impacts. The company believed that the cost of these environmental programs would be offset by increased goodwill and a potential for future savings and expanded business opportunities.;Enviromental permit acquisition for the McMicking Project was complicated by an inadequate environmental review document, endangered American Peregrine Falcons, indecisive decision-making bodies, concurrent revising of the county's general plan, and opposition to the project's precedent-setting location. Although the required permits were eventually obtained, the process required so much time that the project was never completed. These problems demonstrated the need for better environmental planning and diligent oversight of the regulatory process by project proponents.;Environmental planning for the Boggs Lake Prospect allowed all permits for two exploratory well projects to be very rapidly obtained without opposition, notwithstanding recent regulatory process changes and regulatory agencies without staff. This was accomplished by utilizing all the existing enviromental data for the area to select those wellsites with no known environmental constraints, and creatively using this information to demonstrate the project's superior design.