BUENA VISTA — The first proposed geothermal lease sale in Colorado — in the picturesque Chalk Creek Valley — drew a volley of sharp questions from a crowd of 170 residents at a meeting Thursday night.
The federal Bureau of Land Management is set to offer the 800-acre lease for geothermal electricity development, along with oil and gas leases, at its Feb. 11 Colorado lease sale.
“This is big,” said state Sen. Gail Schwartz, D-Snowmass Village, who attended the meeting held by the BLM and the state Department of Natural Resources. “We have a valuable resource in geothermal energy, but we need a predictable process that protects the mineral right and respects property owners.
“We went through this with oil and gas.”
Kermit Witherbee, head of BLM’s geothermal program, said it is time for public scrutiny and additional studies.
“We are at the beginning of the process,” he said.
The Chalk Creek Valley is the site of private homes and rental and resort operations keyed to the Mount Princeton Hot Springs. Although the federal government owns the mineral rights, the surface is owned privately or by the state.
On Thursday night, residents wanted to know:
“There are just a lot more questions than answers at this point,” said Rick Streily, a Chalk Creek homeowner.
Mark Jaffe: 303-954-1912
