I just learned of a potentially remarkable occurrence that has happened in Congress. Despite all of the discord that we hear that happens in our U.S. Congress, two senators, Montana’s own Senator Daines and Colorado’s Democratic Senator Hickenlooper, have introduced a bill that could have major implications for our country’s energy needs.
Their bipartisan GeoPower Act will provide incentives to advance the new next generation of geothermal energy.
Geothermal energy has had great success in providing steady energy in several pilot projects here in the U.S. and also in Germany. The process uses the same process as is used for drilling for oil, but requires drilling much deeper into the earth to reach very hot rocks: 5-6 miles deep. This innovative way to extract energy is still very expensive but Senators Daines and Hickenlooper see the tremendous potential in scaling up geothermal energy to provide both heat and a steady source of electricity for us. Their bill will provide incentives to advance the speed of geothermal development.
Congratulations to Senators Daines and Hickenlooper for leading the way to the future.
Michael Flanagan
Missoula