Editorial: Bush budget skips geothermal

Saturday, Feb. 10, 2007 | 7:12 a.m.

The Bush administration's goal of cutting the nation's use of oil-based gasoline by 20 percent within 10 years should be reachable. Already there are dozens of ethanol and biodiesel businesses springing up around the country and demand is growing.

We agree with this goal, which President Bush's proposed 2008 budget supports to the tune of about $500 million.

But as the nation tries to reduce its dependence on oil, coal and natural gas - finite resources that cause air pollution and global warming - it should not overlook geothermal energy.

In a Gannett News Service analysis of Bush's proposed budget, it was found that no money has been included for this renewable source, which has great potential in Northern Nevada and throughout the West.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology last month released the results of a study sponsored by the Energy Department. One finding, according to The Boston Globe, was that geothermal could generate enough energy by 2050 to replace the coal-fired and nuclear power plants that are likely to be retired over the next several decades.

Geothermal, also called heat mining, taps into 300-degree to 400-degree water beneath the Earth's crust, and uses its steam to power turbines that produce electricity.

Bill Rickard, whose Palm Desert, Calif., company, Geothermal Resource Group, provides drilling and consulting services for a geothermal plant outside of Reno, told the Las Vegas Sun this week that neglecting geothermal in the federal energy budget would be "shortsighted." We hope Congress agrees.