Mt. Baker a power plant???

Mt.Baker isn't the only icon to be considered for its energy prospects. Meager Hot Springs, located about 50 miles NW of Whistler, is the most significant potential geothermal energy site in Canada. It has the largest volume of hot water for any hot spring in B.C. It was, also, one of the most special places that I have ever winter camped at. B.C. Hydro has explored this site over the last 30 years, but nothing has come of it. www.em.gov.bc.ca/Geothermal/GeothermalRights.htm
www.bcsea.org/sustainableenergy/geothermal.asp

A friend of mine owns a company that provides software to help corporations become more environmentally friendly. We have had many discussions, while traveling to Whistler, regarding environmental issues. I have always maintained that there is no perfect answer and all energy sources come with some environment costs.

Geothermal is one of the greenest forms of power generation we have.  The footprint is much smaller than solar or wind, there are no turbines to chop up birds or bats, nothing is burned, the water is typically recirculated so that the only emissions or waste is a very small amount of various gases.  There are emissions controls that can cut the emissions to .1% of those generated by fossil fuel power plants for the same amount of electricity generated.  The prospect of generating geothermal power, even in an area where we might want to recreate, is one that should snow lovers happy.  Wikipedia has a good article on geothermal.

Geothermal is one of the greenest forms of power generation we have.  The footprint is much smaller than solar or wind, there are no turbines to chop up birds or bats, nothing is burned, the water is typically recirculated so that the only emissions or waste is a very small amount of various gases. . .
The prospect of generating geothermal power, even in an area where we might want to recreate, is one that should [make] snow lovers happy.

Geothermal only looks so green when viewed from the comfortable distance of Seattle or some other far away location. When you see it up close, geothermal looks about as green as a large pumice mine or rock quarry or logging operation. None of those generate carbon emissions per se (except from construction/maintenance vehicles), but all cause a significant and severe negative environmental impact in the vicinity of their operation. Geothermal causes similar damage, namely clear-cutting, road building, erosion, and stream pollution. Plus it's an awful eyesore with the pipes running beside the roads and large valve complexes in many clearings. All of the typical problems associated with any heavy industrial development in a mountain environment. And made worse because most geothermal projects seem to go belly up when the funding runs out before any power is produced, leaving the entire mess behind, abandoned and rusting, and having produced no benefit to anyone.

I wonder how many of those in favor of geothermal development at Mt Baker have actually visited either of the two largest geothermal developments on the Cascade volcanoes: Mount Meager in southwest BC and Medicine Lake Volcano in northern CA. Having visited these two sites and seen the effects firsthand, the prospect of generating geothermal power in areas where I want to recreate does NOT make this particular snow lover happy.

Both of these volcanoes are quite remote, far from any population center, and relatively rarely visited.  Especially so in the case of Meager, which has been closed to public road access since the Oct 2003 floods swept away the bridge to Meager Hot Springs, prompting the BC government to (very unfairly and arbitrarily) close off public access to the other completely undamaged roads leading to the south side of the Meager Volcanic Complex. The roads are in the control of the geothermal prospecting and logging companies, which do have vehicle access beyond the now-locked gate. There is access by ski or foot, and one could easily mountain bike the fairly-level road after the snow is gone, sometime in May or June.

I visited Meager a couple of times prior to the road closure, and once more since then (requiring walking several miles down the gated road). Not to see the geothermal, but just to explore and hike and ski the northernmost major Cascade volcano, site of Canada's last major explosive eruption only 2350 years ago. The geothermal development is on the south side of Pylon Peak, one of 5 major volcanic peaks in the Meager complex. Numerous large football-field-sized clearings have 10 ft high valves sticking out of the ground, surrounded by chain-link fencing, prefab buildings, and piles of construction debris. Not fully abandoned, since there were driveable vans/trucks parked beside the buildings, but looking very forlorn and somewhat decrepit.



[size=small]Geothermal facilities on the south side of the Meager Volcanic Complex, June 2002.[/size]

The geothermal development at Medicine Lake Volcano is within the caldera, south of Lava Beds National Monument and NE of the lake, just SW of the huge Glass Mountain obsidian flow. This area I've visited several times since 2000, and the geothermal development appears to be completely abandoned and decaying. Rusting pipes line the edges of several dirt roads for miles, with numerous large clearings housing upright valves and foul holding ponds. Very ugly and disheartening.


[size=small]Geothermal valve and holding pond within Medicine Lake caldera, July 2003.[/size]

Although my words above may make it seem like I'm an opponent of geothermal power, that is not true. But I am generally opposed to industrial development in remote mountain areas, where the damage caused by the heavy industry is rarely compensated by any possible benefit to society as a whole. Especially in places which are special and unique, such as Medicine Lake (the largest volcano by volume in the entire Cascade Range, a geological wonderland of lava tubes, obsidian flows, etc), Mount Meager, or Mount Baker.

And in the case of geothermal, even the investors and proponents rarely benefit, at least based on that industry's lengthy track record of abandoning projects prior to completion or power generation. Do we really want a mess of additional roads, clearcuts, pipes, and valves on the southeast side of Mt Baker? Especially with better-than-even odds of it being left abandoned and rusting without having produced a single watt of commercially available power? Commercial success and a benefit to society is not guaranteed, but the probability of long-term environmental damage and ugliness is 100% once development is allowed to begin.

I thought the thread title asked if Baker was a powder plant at first glance.

Nice report Amar.
I wonder if given the intended production quotas in these new laws, companies will be less likely to simply abandon such operations after any immediate profits are realized. Maybe there will be more incentive to actually produce power? Or maybe they will find a way to devastate the entire Baker Lake vicinity looking for it, handing over public land to private ownership and making sure prospectors are paid handsomely in the process...

I worked at the The Geysers power plants during the 70s. At that time Pacific Gas and Electric operated the generating facilities and Union Oil supplied the steam. The combined presence was considerable with generating plants, cooling towers, steam lines and wells all over the mountainside.

Calpine now owns most of the 21 power plants. For a sense of the size of the units see www.geysers.com/ .