LAKEPORT — The Lake County Board of Supervisors (BOS) approved the drafting of letters to federal representatives expressing opposition to the possible elimination of geothermal royalty payments, a move that, if approved by Congress, would see the county lose more than $1.5 million per year and could jeopardize the county”s solvency.
County Administrator Kelly Cox brought the issue before the supervisors after a move by the House Democrats” Natural Resources Committee in Washington, D.C. approved eliminating the county share of geothermal royalty payments as part of its own deficit reduction plan.
Cox said he had been in contact with every county government in the country that currently receives geothermal royalty revenues to alert them about this issue and he asked that they contact their representatives to express their opposition to this proposal.
Cox asked the supervisors to approve letters to U.S. senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer and U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson describing the importance of the royalty revenues to those counties that receive them.
District 5 Supervisor Rob Brown said the matter needed to be brought before U.S. Rep. John Garamendi as well since he will be representing the newly created Third Congressional District if he is re-elected.
The Third Congressional District includes the northern and eastern portions of Lake County while the Fifth Congressional District, which is Thompson”s new district, includes the southern and western portions of the county.
Board Chair Jim Comstock said he spoke with Thompson on Monday about the issue and that the congressman expressed “grave concern” that the royalties are in danger. Cox said Thompson had been working hard on lobbying against the proposal but had been meeting resistance.
Cox said many of the other county governments throughout the country are working hard to prevent the royalties from being eliminated.
He has been in contact with the 10 other California counties that receive royalty revenues and that Nevada counties have been lobbying Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who represents Nevada, intensely on the matter. He said an Idaho county in the same situation began a similar letter-writing campaign.
District 3 Supervisor Denise Rushing said geothermal energy is renewable but is not generated without local costs and a cooperative nature. She said that case needs to be made on the matter.
District 4 Supervisor Anthony Farrington said the letters should include the things Lake County has been able to accomplish because of the geothermal royalty revenues.
The supervisors unanimously approved and signed the drafted letters with the suggested additions.
Kevin N. Hume can be reached at kevin.n.hume@gmail.com or call directly 263-5636 ext. 14.
