US Forest Service seeks public comments on Mount Baker site in Washington
Mount Baker, Washington State, U.S. (source: flickr/ ensteele, creative commons)
Alexander Richter
2 May 2012
The U.S. Forest Service seeks public comments for potential leasing 5,500 acres of land for geothermal development at Mount Baker, Washington in the U.S.
Reported by local media last month, the U.S. Forest Service is seeking public comments on whether forest land near Mount Baker in Washington would be suitable for the development of geothermal power projects.
The proposal as part of a “Consent to lease” has been published on the Forest Service Website, and states that the potential plant sites could be “sited on 15-25 acre plots”, on the southeast side of Mount Baker, west of Baker Lake.
Currently only the potential leasing by the Bureau of Land Management is considered, to establish how environmental impacts could be minimized. The lease could open 5,500 acres to power companies. There will be an additional public comment period “when specific exploration wells or plants are proposed.”
Public comments can be submitted until May 20, 2012 to eozog@fs.fed.us
In 2010 the Forest Service authorized geothermal leasing on 8,355 acres in the same area, west of Baker Lake. No proposals for exploration or development have been received so far.
Source: Bellingham Herald
