LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lake County Planning Commission will hold a public hearing this week on draft environmental documents for a steamfield expansion project proposed by Bottle Rock Power.

The special meeting will begin at 9 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 3, in the board chambers at the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport.

The commission will consider the draft environmental impact report and draft environmental assessment on the project, which can be downloaded at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Community_Development/Bottle_Rock_Power_Draft_EIR_9-16-10.htm .

All written comments must be submitted prior to 5 p.m. Monday, Nov. 1, to Community Development Director Richard Coel, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , telephone 707-263-2221.

Bottle Rock Power LLC is seeking a use permit and rezone in order to expand its steamfield, according to county documents.

The project is located within the Binkley Leasehold at 6743, 6825, 7358, 7385 and 7500 High Valley Road, Cobb.

As part of the project, the company wants to build two new geothermal well pads along with an access road, and 1.3 miles of new pipeline to connect to the existing pipeline serving the power plant.

Also part of the proposal is the drilling of 22 production and injection wells on the two proposed

well pads over the life of the project.

The commission hearing's purpose is to review the draft EIR's adequacy, and consider whether or not to direct preparation of the project's final EIR.

Since the plant reopened three and a half years ago, neighbors of the facility have brought forward numerous complaints about permit violations, traffic, environmental impacts and safety.

A number of community meetings in Cobb have been held to address those concerns, with the atmosphere at most of those meetings becoming heated as community members confronted plant officials.

One of the area property owners closely watching the process is Hamilton Hess, chairman of the Friends of Cobb Mountain, a group that formed in 1976 in response to a plan from Unocal to put geothermal wells on Cobb.

Hess said he's read the 750-page EIR, which he called “an immense thing.”

He added, “I think it's a poor document, frankly.”

Hess said he believed the transportation section is faulty, pointing to its statement that the number of vehicles and trips could be mitigated down to causing no impact.

Considering the existing traffic issues for residents along High Valley Road, “That's a very curious and, I would say, untrue statement to make,” Hess said.

He said the impacts on residents so far have been “fairly heavy in several respects,” including odor, traffic, noise and grading work that's been done without proper permits. “It's been a difficult situation.”

Hess also pointed out that there's no assurance that there is even enough steam in the field to justify the project, with the document's median estimate putting it at 26 megawatts below what the plant needs.

“It's a big gamble,” he said.

He said a lot of Cobb residents are planning to attend the Nov. 3 hearing.

“There are strong feelings in the valley about it,” he said.

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