A former nuclear submarine officer turned geothermal entrepreneur unearths objects that should not exist in The NIMBY Paradox, now available from Palmetto Publishing.

CHARLESTON, S.C., Sept. 16, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Palmetto Publishing has released The NIMBY Paradox, a new techno-thriller by Michael A. Bauser. The novel follows a geothermal energy entrepreneur whose routine drilling operation in the Utah desert uncovers anomalies buried deep in ancient rock, anomalies that seem to defy the known laws of geology, archaeology, and physics.

Stephen D. “Hutch” Hutcheson, the founder and CEO of Geothermal Resources, Inc., is no stranger to high-stakes operations. A geology graduate who spent five years as a nuclear submarine officer standing watch over ballistic missiles beneath the North Atlantic, he has channeled his technical expertise into a new mission: tapping the immense heat locked within the earth. When his team launches a drilling project in the remote desert of southwestern Utah, the operation proceeds smoothly at first, cutting through layers of geological strata millions of years in the making. Then, at a depth of one thousand feet, the drill brings up a stainless steel bolt.

That single bolt sets off a cascade of impossible discoveries. Each new anomaly buried in the rock raises questions more disturbing than the last, challenging everything Hutch and his team understand about deep time and the history beneath their feet. When his friend Denise L. Youngblood arrives and brings her own expertise to bear on the evidence, their investigation spirals into territory connecting nuclear science, geology, archaeology, and secrets that blur the line between what humanity has built and what the earth has buried.

The novel occupies the space where technically rigorous fiction meets slow-building mystery, a tradition shaped by writers such as Michael Crichton and Tom Clancy. Bauser, a Stanford mechanical engineering graduate with a nuclear concentration and a Georgetown law degree, brings procedural authenticity rare in the genre. The NIMBY Paradox is positioned for readers who value real-world science woven into their fiction, as well as professional audiences in the energy and nuclear sectors. The book arrives at a moment of renewed public interest in geothermal energy and nuclear technology, grounding its thriller premise in questions that resonate well beyond the page.

The NIMBY Paradox is available for purchase online at Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com.

About the Author: Michael A. Bauser is a retired attorney with over 35 years of experience practicing law in Washington, D.C. He represented electric utilities, manufacturers, and various companies before federal courts and agencies on regulatory and contractual matters. Prior to his legal career, Bauser served five years in the U.S. Navy aboard nuclear submarines. He earned a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering with a nuclear concentration from Stanford University, and a J.D. from Georgetown University. This is his first novel, The NIMBY Paradox, following numerous publications in professional journals.

About the Book:

Title: The NIMBY Paradox
Author: Michael A. Bauser

Publisher: Palmetto Publishing
Publication date: September 1, 2026
ISBN-13: 9798318807848

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SOURCE Palmetto Publishing