USA, Alaska:

Geothermal Hopes Stall Without City Backing (kucb)

A years-long effort to bring geothermal power to Unalaska may be on its last legs. The city government is draining its accounts for exploring Makushin Volcano, saying the project is too expensive and risky to pursue any further.

"Right now, it’s just pretty much a dead project," says city public utilities director Dan Winters.

Winters says the city is clearing out its geothermal savings. They’ve transferred an expiring federal grant to Akutan, and rolled their local match back into the city’s general fund. And soon, the state Legislature will likely take back the rest of the geothermal account -- a $1.5 million grant that was never used.

For now, though, they’ll shop Makushin around to private companies alone -- and wait for a chance to bring the city back on board.

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