10/28/09

The Cassia County Commissioners are exploring the possibility of having a federal prison built south of Malta. They've tossed their hats into the ring, and now it's all over except for the waiting.

The 'Raft River Geothermal Power Plant' south of Malta has been up and running for about two years now. The plant puts out 13 megawatts of electricity, which could power almost 8500 homes. Taking advantage of this natural resource is one reason Cassia County is looking into the possibility of a federal prison being built here.

Cassia County Commissioner Clay Handy says, “I think the federal government is trying to spend money and build buildings that are all green. The geothermal site, they have the opportunity to take hot water from the wells, and be able to heat the entire prison with that.”

Typically an 1100 bed medium security federal correctional institution is built on 900 acres, and provides 350 jobs for households totaling between 47 and 58 thousand dollars a year. Two thirds of those employees prefer to commute no more than 45 minutes each way.

Handy says, “We've contacted Senator Risch's office, and want to know the probability, and his take on the budgeting process, and if we're in the running, or find out a little more detail.”

Handy says that a prison here is a long ways from being any kind of a done deal, and could take three to five years before the proposed facility would open. He says like most economic development efforts, it takes having a lot of things in order, before a proposal becomes reality.