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Residents, GPAC urge stronger geothermal protections, buffers and water safeguards in draft plan
Summary
At an April 3 GPAC meeting, residents and committee members pressed county staff and PlaceWorks to strengthen geothermal policies: maintain or tighten lake setbacks, require clear water-injection controls and disclosure of chemicals, expand monitoring and bonding for reclamation, and elevate tribal collaboration to avoid cultural-site disturbance.
The Lake County General Plan Advisory Committee and multiple members of the public pressed county staff on April 3 to tighten the draft Geothermal Resources element, saying the current language leaves too much discretion for industry and risks harm to water, cultural sites and neighborhood safety.
Tanya Sunberg, a principal with PlaceWorks, summarized the draft element as aiming to “support the efficient, sustainable and safe use of the countys geothermal resources” through policies that promote research, predictable permitting, and protections for water and air quality. Committee members and speakers quickly focused on implementation details, urging stronger, mandatory language rather than aspirational text.
“Review current geothermal setback map and requirements in Article 27...for potential updates and amendments to accommodate technological and industrial advances” appears in the draft as GR1.A, but several members said that sentence reads like a…
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