Congressmen Oppose Cuts in Geothermal Payments (RenewablesBiz)
Reps. Mike Thompson and Jared Huffman are urging President Barack Obama not to eliminate geothermal royalty payments totaling nearly $2 million a year to Sonoma and Lake counties.
Four other congressmen, including two Republicans, joined the call to preserve the payments, which amount to $2.2 million for eight California counties involved in steam power production.
The president's proposed budget for the fiscal year beginning 2015 eliminates the 25 percent share of geothermal royalty payments given to counties. It would instead split the $12 million national total equally between the states and the federal government.
Counties deserve to "get their fair share" of the geothermal royalties due to their investments in developing energy resources, Thompson, D-Napa, said Wednesday in a statement.
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