By David Modeer and Pam Pickard Special to the Arizona Daily Star
(Editor’s note: Posting opinion pieces does not necessarily reflect the opinions of Rose Law Group.)
The Navajo Generating Station, a coal-fired power plant near Lake Powell on the Navajo Nation, provides more than 90 percent of the power that the Central Arizona Project needs to deliver water to Central and Southern Arizona.
Early this year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued a proposed rule that would require the Navajo plant to reduce emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) for the stated purpose of decreasing visibility impairment at certain national parks and wilderness areas. EPA proposed two alternatives for best available retrofit technology to meet its NOx reduction goal, but both require installation of new emission-reduction equipment within the next five to 10 years. The cost of either of EPA’s alternatives could exceed $1 billion and would result in plant closure, causing serious far-reaching effects for CAP and the state.
Fortunately, recognizing the importance of the Navajo plant to Arizona’s water sustainability and the major role the plant and associated coal mine play in the economies of the Navajo Nation, Hopi and other tribes, the EPA is also considering alternative plans that would achieve the same or better NOx reduction goals over the life of the power plant.
