I just don't trust the company to be watching out for the lives of everyone downwind from the plant.
In the independent investigation of the blowout that I linked above, it says:
"This report finds that the blowout occurred because of inadequacies in PGVs drilling plan and procedures and not as a result of unusual or unmanageable subsurface geologic or hydrologic conditions. While the geothermal resource in the area being drilled is relatively hot, the temperatures are not excessive for modem technology and methods to control. Fluid pressures encountered are also manageable if proper procedures are followed and the appropriate equipment is utilized.
A previous blowout of short duration occurred on February 21, 1991, at the KS-7 injection well being drilled by PGV at a depth of approximately 1600'. This unexpected incident alerted PGV to the possibility of encountering a high temperature, fractured zone at a relatively shallow depth. The experience at KS-7 prompted PGV to refine its hydrological model; however, the drilling plan utilized for KS-8 was not changed.
Not only did PGV fail to modify its drilling program following the KS-7 blowout, but they also failed to heed numerous ''red flags'' (warning signals) in the five days preceding the KS-8 blowout"
Also, if you look at the EPA's review of Hawai`i County's emergency response plan, the EPA did not think it was up to snuff and commented that PGV's communication lines with first responders weren't that great.
Guess I don't like having a facility "next door" that makes it necessary to have an evacuation plan for the entire region.
Another one of Daniel Inouye's pet projects ... he wanted an undersea pipeline to take the energy produced here to serve Oahu (and Maui) -- not to make the Big Island self-sustaining.
If you read just one of the links I provided, take a look at this article about the politics around this project, the people with health problems that are being pooh-poohed, and the fact that this plant has had a major incident (and Harry Kim feels deeply apologetic to the people about how it was handled).
http://www.chron.com/content/chronicle/n...awaii.html
To sum up the response to people's health concerns:
1) the effects of hydrogen sulfide exposure are known
2) the Puna citizens who complained were rabidly anti PVG
3) therefore, they have studied the symptoms they would have from hydrogen sulfide exposure and are reporting them even though they don't have them.
4) therefore, complaints about health issues can be ascribed to a bunch of radicals and may be dismissed.
