Not So Nice Geothermal Neighbors

For Immediate Release: Contact: August 1, 2014 Betty Hylton
(760) 934-2596 ext 274 bhylton
MCWD BOARD UNANIMOUSLY VOTES TO PURSUE LAWSUIT AGAINST AIR DISTRICT Air District Certifies Inadequate Environmental Document for Ormat Geothermal Project That Could Threaten Local Water Supply

Mammoth Lakes, CA – The Mammoth Community Water District (MCWD) Board of Directors has unanimously voted to pursue a lawsuit against the Great Basin Unified Air Pollution Control District (Great Basin) following the certification of the Final Joint Environmental Impact Statement/ Environmental Impact Report (FEIS/EIR) for the controversial Casa Diablo IV Geothermal Development Project (Casa Diablo IV). The project’s proponent, Ormat Technologies, Inc., will be listed as a real party of interest in the lawsuit, which will assert that the FEIS/EIR for Casa Diablo IV is inadequate and violates the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) in several respects.

“Our Board’s decision to pursue a lawsuit against Great Basin and Ormat is in line with our top priority: the protection of our local water supply,” said Patrick Hayes, MCWD’s general manager. “Unfortunately, the environmental document certified by Great Basin for Casa Diablo IV was blatantly inadequate in its consideration of the project’s potential negative impacts on our water supply, an error that we cannot overlook, particularly during a record statewide drought.”

MCWD has determined that the FEIS/EIR is inadequate on numerous accounts, including:
 The FEIS/EIR conclusion that there will be no adverse impacts to Mammoth’s groundwater
resources is lacking any credible scientific support;
 There was a lack of transparency evident throughout the FEIS/FEIR process; and
 There was a failure to disclose critical documents concerning the hydrological connection between Mammoth’s groundwater and the geothermal zones.
MCWD plans to file the lawsuit against Great Basin in the weeks ahead. About Mammoth Community Water District
MCWD provides water and wastewater utility service to the Town of Mammoth Lakes and surrounding areas. MCWD strives to provide reliable, affordable utility service to our customers and to conduct our operations in a manner reflecting our stewardship role. We encourage our customers to practice responsible use of our limited water resources, and to take advantage of the information and services available to support this goal.

###

pr-8-1-14-gbuapcd-lawsuit.pdf