Congressman Denny Rehberg

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg today announced $491,000 for Geothermal Development in Hot Springs Valley. The funding was included in the Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee bill for Fiscal Year 2010.

“This funding represents an investment in an ‘All of the Above’ energy solution, which is the balanced approach I support to meet the America’s energy needs,” said Rehberg, a member of the House Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee. “Research is imperative in developing alternative energy sources, and I’m proud to support a project that leads to jobs in Northwest Montana.”

Hydrologists believe that a water source at the Lake County hot springs may be hot enough deep in the earth for geothermal power production. Geothermal energy is power extracted from heat stored in the earth. It’s an important, renewable source of energy that can be produced domestically. While cost-effective and environmentally friendly, it can only be tapped in very specific locations, which makes it important to locate hot spots.

“The Hot Springs area in Lake County, Montana is a proven source for geothermal. Shallow wells indicate that the source goes deeper,” said Kenneth Sugden, General Manager for Flathead Electric Cooperative. “This project will allow Flathead Electric to continue drilling in shallow wells to verify the potential source of development. Geothermal power is a valuable source of distributed, renewable power for the area.”