A federal working group will address concerns about air pollution and jobs at the largest coal-fired power plant in the western United States, the Navajo Generating Station on an Indian reservation near the Grand Canyon, three U.S. agencies said on Friday.
A joint statement from the Department of the Interior, the Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said the agencies would work together to find ways to produce “clean, affordable and reliable power” while “minimizing negative impacts on those who currently obtain significant benefits from (the Navajo station), including tribal nations.”
The 2,250-megawatt 1970s-era coal plant is located on the Navajo Indian reservation just 15 miles from the Grand Canyon.
Shutting the plant would cost more than 1,000 jobs at the plant and the coal mine that supplies it, according to U.S. Congressman Paul Gosar, an Arizona Republican. A majority of the workers are Native Americans.
Salt River Project, a part-owner and operator of the station, said it was encouraged by the statement which recognizes the importance of the power plant to the region and commits the agencies to work together.
Other owners of the station include Arizona Public Service, a unit of Pinnacle West Capital Corp, Tucson Electric Power, a unit of UNS Energy Corp, NV Energy and Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.
Information from Reuters http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/05/us-utilities-coal-navajogenerating-idUSBRE90401D20130105
