Mount Baker’s Renewable Dilemma
Energy experts and conservation activists are debating the geothermal energy potential at Mount Baker.
The Mt. Baker area is known for its cascading mountains and tall green pines. With the presence of thermal features, the Eastern side of Mt. Baker provides hope for the future development of a geothermal energy plant. // Leah Henry
Story by Gabe Meyer
March 15, 2023
Birds glide through the breeze above the branching arms of tall Douglas firs. The old-growth trees, more than ten stories high, have inhabited this site for hundreds of years. A native Douglas squirrel scurries down the thick trunk to the forest floor carpeted in ferns, rocks and moss. Deep beneath these Mount Baker forests, a dormant power stirs. A network of subterranean hot springs and geysers could potentially supply clean energy to surrounding neighborhoods.
Geothermal energy provides unique opportunities unmatched by any other renewable energy source. Harnessing it may be a difficult task, and these climate solutions could come at a cost to Mount Baker’s natural scenery. Mount Baker’s geothermal potential could solidify Bellingham’s lead in the race to renewables or leave neighboring communities with nothing but environmental loss. Global temperature rise puts pressure on these decisions, making every second count.
“We are already behind where we should be,” said Bellingham City Council Member Michael Lilliquist.
According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), it is crucial that the global temperature rises no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius within this century. According to NASA, global temperatures have already increased by 1.1 degrees Celsius.
Limited by state and federal rules, Bellingham receives its energy from the Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC). The UTC has been regulating everything from electricity to railroads in Washington for over 100 years. This means Bellingham must rely on UTC in efforts against climate change.
UTC is moving towards a less carbon-intensive energy supply, said Lilliquist. This means using more energy from sources like geothermal, wind and solar to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide and other harmful greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere.
To Lilliquist, this includes a change in consumer behavior like more citizens driving electric cars and heating their homes with electricity.
“I'm not going to change the power supply,” said Lilliquist. “But I can try to influence the end users and whether or not we're plugging into that, those renewable forms of energy, which are coming across our wires.”
One advantage of geothermal is its capacity factor, the time or percentage of the year that energy can be produced. Wind and solar energy have capacity factors of 20% to 30%; while geothermal, a virtually steady source, boasts a factor of 95% explaining the heightened interest in geothermal as of late.
The process of harnessing geothermal energy involves drilling a hole in the ground larger than a steering wheel. These massive holes reach depths anywhere from 1,000 to 12,000 feet in search of temperatures 275 degrees Fahrenheit or greater. Thick steel pipes are then threaded through the ground to be used as a portal for steam to travel up, spinning a turbine and generating electricity.
These methods have been proposed to harness the power of Mount Baker and electrify neighboring communities. In the early 1980s the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) drilled the first temperature-grade hole, in what is now the Mount Baker Hot Springs parking lot.
Forty years later, these investigations are ongoing and inconclusive. DNR uses a number of methods to analyze the subsurface and determine its viability for geothermal. At Mount Baker, the hot springs produce the ideal temperature, promising enough heat to get geothermal scientists excited.
“Mount Baker had the highest potential for geothermal,” said Trenton Cladouhos, the Vice President at Cyrq Energy. Cyrq Energy is an industry leader in sustainable energy with geothermal power plants located in multiple states.
A snowboarder looks up at the slopes along the mountain range near Mt. Baker. This area is used for a variety of recreational purposes, including hiking, snowboarding, and camping. // Leah Henry
Mount Baker’s high potential motivated a company, which was not identified publicly, to reach out to the Bureau of Land Management, prompting the first consent to lease form for geothermal energy production at Mount Baker. This document made the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest available to purchase, and verified its viability for geothermal development.
But the possibility to change the landscape on Mount Baker raised concerns for conservation groups. Washington Wild, for example, values the location for its old growth forests, endangered species, and indigenous land. The group urged a deeper dive into the full scope of potential environmental impacts.
“We had to fight to make sure that the stipulations were there. And we should continue to make sure that the numbers add up before we start poking holes in public lands,” said Tom Uniack, the Executive Director of Washington Wild.
The 2015 lease agreements addressed protection for steep slopes, designated or proposed critical habitat, and historic and cultural sites, including Indigenous lands under the Nooksack Indian Tribe’s jurisdiction.
As early as 2014, Uniack started writing letters to the Washington Forest Service, urging them to consider every stakeholder and avoid making hasty decisions.
The lease in question took into account several possible environmental impacts, but neglected others, according to Uniack. In response, the Forest Service agreed to reconsider the lease, and Washington Wild’s concerns were finally addressed in an updated geothermal land lease in 2020.
No permanent structures will be allowed in areas designated as wild and scenic rivers, and protection for old-growth forests is required.
Old-growth forests sequester more carbon than new forests and provide habitat for native species. Less than 10% of the original old-growth forests remain in the Pacific Northwest.
Areas of public land have been designated as “roadless” in order to preserve their natural state, protect wildlife and offer recreational opportunities.
“We want to make sure we are not trading off really significant values that matter here,” Uniack said. “We need to have the data to make sure if we're going to sacrifice.”
On this account, both the energy companies and the conservationists are in agreement.
“To make a good project, you kind of need to be better than average,” Cladouhos said.
In his work with Cyrq Energy, Cladouhos has come to recognize plenty of other suitable sites in the United States other than Mount Baker. What was already a complex terrain is even less attractive since the addition of the new stipulations in the 2020 lease.
“We want to make sure geothermal is done in a way where it is worthwhile,” said Uniack. “But we also want to make sure we're not trading off really significant values that matter here as well.”
There are many ways to approach climate change. Geothermal energy may be part of the future green grid, but for now, Mount Baker will not be the setting.
“Renewables are on a winning trajectory,” Lilliquist said. “Let’s set a really ambitious goal and see what it would take to get there.”
Gabe Meyer, is an environmental studies student, using storytelling to inspire and engage others in environmental topics.
Leah Henry is a student designing her own interdisciplinary program through the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. She enjoys using her photography to inspire wildlife conservation and environmental compassion.