COBB, Calif. – A lawsuit that alleged the county of Lake violated state environmental law in its approval of environmental documents for a geothermal project has been resolved.
The Friends of Cobb Mountain filed the suit against the county of Lake in the spring of 2011. The suit followed the Board of Supervisors' denial of the group's appeal of the Lake County Planning Commission's December 2010 certification of the environmental impact report for the Bottle Rock Steam Power Project.
The group alleged that the county’s approval of the project violated the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
A tentative agreement was reached to settle the case in March, and Hamilton Hess, chairman of Friends of Cobb Mountain, said Friday that the county and the group formally entered into a settlement agreement on the matter in May.
As a result of the settlement agreement, Friends of Cobb Mountain has dismissed its lawsuit against the county, Hess said.
“The settlement agreement is a positive step forward as it provides Friends of Cobb Mountain a strong framework for moving forward in a cooperative nature with Bottle Rock Power and the county, along with providing Friends of Cobb Mountain the resources needed to effectively monitor geothermal activities and their potential impacts they may have on the community,” Hess said in a written statement.
“The county is very happy all parties were able to come to a mutually satisfactory resolution of this matter and we agree with Mr. Hess that it represents a positive step forward,” Lake County Counsel Anita Grant told Lake County News.
Friends of Cobb Mountain said the settlement agreement provides for Bottle Rock Power to reimburse local residents for reasonable temporary relocation expenses in the event there is a need to evacuate due to a hazard to life and health from the operation of the facility according to regulatory standards and government authorities of jurisdiction.
The agreement also provides for Bottle Rock Power to release numerous documents regarding botanical surveys, bonding requirements and Bottle Rock Power’s leases, Friends of Cobb Mountain reported.
The agreement provides for the county to hire, through the use of AB 1905 funds, a resource planner/geothermal coordinator as a staff member within the Lake County Community Development Department. The county agreed to reestablish and reactivate the County Geothermal Advisory Committee as referenced in the Lake County General Plan.
In addition, the settlement provides a mechanism for Friends of Cobb Mountain and Bottle Rock Power to address traffic problems that may arise from the construction and operation of the project.
Friends of Cobb Mountain also will receive funding to test local groundwater wells and springs that are in the vicinity of the project, as well as funds that can used for monitoring and resource protection.