It is hair brained, but the problem is that it has been stated at all. Further, the bigger problem in my mind, is the fact that geology is so badly established and unfounded that this could even be a consideration. It is self-evident that society and scientists as a whole do not have any actual comprehensive or cohesive understanding of anything deeper than a dozen or few hundred feet under the ground at max.
The Kola Borehole, if anything, obliterated geology for those who have studied findings therefrom.
The conjecture that magma comprises some kind of a mantle under the crust and squirts up through the crust as they postulate is purely speculative. No one has hopped into a lava-proof submarine neither put any kind of lava-proof "probe" down into the earth to plumb the depths of the magma repositories that they believe go on down in.
So, going back to the point at hand: the western United States and anything within the Ring of Fire or that has any proclivity for geologic instability with likelihood of an eventual event should be enormously wary of any news that could impact stability.
Frankly I do not believe anyone in their right mind could or should live these zones. There are too many choices otherwise that proffer safer alternatives.
Another thing that is alarming slightly to me is how the media seems to be pushing positive encouragements about the "safety" of the Rockies and surrounding zones. It is hard for me to understand how anyone - knowing what we know now - could not see this as a warning sign to do the exact opposite, or to at least educate themselves very well and have a solid exit strategy (if you're not sitting on top of the blast zone in Wyoming/Idaho/Montana and perhaps even Utah).