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Title: Geothermal policy development program: expediting the local geothermal permitting process

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6351895· OSTI ID:6351895

For a number of years, concerns have been raised about the length of time and the complexity involved in obtaining required permits in order to develop the geothermal resource at the Geysers. Perhaps the most important factor is jurisdiction. At the Geysers, all three levels of government - local, state, and federal - exercise significant authority over various aspects of geothermal development. In addition, several agencies within each governmental level play an active role in the permitting process. The present study is concerned primarily with the local permitting process, and the ways in which this process could be expedited. This report begins by looking at the local role in the overall permitting process, and then reviews the findings and conclusions that have been reached in other studies of the problem. This is followed by a case study evaluation of recent permitting experience in the four Geysers-Calistoga KGRA counties, and the report concludes by outlining several approaches to expediting the local permitting process.

Research Organization:
GRIPS Commission, Santa Rosa, CA (USA)
DOE Contract Number:
FC03-79ET27194
OSTI ID:
6351895
Report Number(s):
DOE/ET/27194-T4; ON: DE81026878
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English