We, the citizens of Chaffee County, demand the Chaffee County Board of Commissioners reject the proposed location of the geothermal power plant on Rodeo Road near county road 323.

There are over 1900 private wells within 5 miles of the current proposed site.  The drilling required by a geothermal project of this magnitude poses a real threat to these wells and the homes that they serve. 366 of these homes are within a 2-mile radius of the proposed site.

Having geothermal plants within this proximity to housing communities is unprecedented in the United States.  Plants in New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, even California, are ALL in remote, virtually uninhabited locations.  

Even www.usgs.gov discloses concern when considering Yellowstone.  They write, 

“Geothermal power exploitation in Yellowstone, however, is illegal by act of Congress—the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970 (amended in 1988).  This act requires the Department of Interior to preserve and monitor hydrothermal features, like Old Faithful, in units of the National Park Service, and there is a good reason that the law exists.  In many places, including California, Nevada, Chile, New Zealand, and Iceland, geothermal power production has altered the behavior of nearby hydrothermal features.  There is still quite a lot we don’t understand about how water moves beneath the surface in the Yellowstone area, and it is likely that even geothermal development outside the Park would impact features within the park.”

We call on Mount Princeton Geothermal, LLC to present alternative locations that don’t threaten our homes and water and won’t present such a disfigurement at the base of such a beautiful mountain.

We sign this petition to alert the Board of County Commissioners that the current proposed location is a real threat to our water, will be a significant disfigurement on a beautiful setting, and alternative location is necessary.