Funding Would Expand Boise’s Geothermal Heat

By J. Gelband, 9-03-07

With the Larry Craig story dominating the news, it’s easy to miss some distinctly positive news coming from an Idaho Senate seat: Sen. Mike Crapo recently gained committee approval for federal funding to expand the use of the city’s geothermal heat.

That’s not it; the bill, which designates $250,000 in 2008, includes the potential for the Public Works Department to install geothermal heating at Boise State University.

Employing geothermal heat on the campus, which uses stored heat from either the earth or from water underground, requires the department to transport the heat from the best sources, across the Boise River, but that’s not a task out of the question yet. 

“This funding will see that the largest cutting-edge, renewable energy program of its kind in the nation is brought across the Boise River to a cutting-edge research university in a city known for its cutting-edge technology,” Crapo said at an announcement with Boise Mayor Dave Bieter, BSU President Dr. Robert Kustra and Public Works director Chuck Mickelson at the geothermal well heads.

Boise’s a pretty green city with a lot of support for sustainable living, and providing a renewable energy source for more of the resident and for the large public university will make a lot more people proud to be Boiseans.

In fact, the city’s geothermal program is the largest direct-use geothermal system in the United States with 58 customers, most of whom are located downtown, including Boise City Hall.

“We are truly blessed to have a renewable, non-polluting resource like geothermal so readily available in our community,” Bieter said. Senator Crapo and the entire congressional delegation deserve credit for the collaborative efforts in making this funding a reality.”

Funding for the project isn’t yet a done deal; it must still be approved by the full Senate.