LAKE COUNTY — The lawsuit regarding Bottle Rock Power expansion could be nearing resolution, according to representatives on both sides.
The Friends of Cobb Mountain board of directors recently “reached an agreement to settle the suit out of court,” chair Hamilton Hess said.
Hess stated he could not confirm the specifics of the deal. “The details are being worked out by the lawyers,” he added.
Friends of Cobb Mountain petitioned the court last May to reverse decisions made by the Lake County Board of Supervisors (BOS) approving the expansion project.
The petition lists the County of Lake and the BOS as respondents.
“I can tell you that we have heard that a settlement has been tentatively reached. All parties have worked diligently toward a solution so we are hopeful we can successfully resolve this matter,” County Counsel Anita Grant wrote in an email this week.
Currently, there is no item scheduled on the BOS agenda for discussion or action on a potential resolution, Grant stated.
Bottle Rock Power, LLC is a “real party in interest” in the case.
General manager Brian Harms would not comment on the specifics of the out-of-court discussions. “We have continued to make positive progress in the settlement negotiations,” he said.
The company proposes to construct two new geothermal well pads, drill up to 22 production and injection wells and add nearly 1.3 miles of pipeline on land it leases on High Valley Road in Cobb.
Construction on the project stopped last summer pending the resolution of the lawsuit, Harms said.
Bottle Rock Power operates a power plant and three geothermal well pads on land adjacent to the expansion area.
The parties are scheduled to appear at the Lake County Courthouse on April 30 for a case management conference.
Contact Jeremy Walsh at jwalsh@record-bee.com or call him at 263-5636, ext. 37. Follow case updates on Twitter @JeremyDWalsh or by searching #BRPsuit.
