This is, in my mind, a very good use of tax dollars. The comparable boreholes in California along the San Andreas were, in contrast, a total waste of money.
It's not worth fighting about. The problem may simply be the reporting of the project, and the fact that the reporter couldn't convey the status of the project to my satisfaction. Entirely possible.
I'm not convinced that they know what they're doing, but it's late on Friday night for me, and I think we've about exhausted this discussion.