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Greens Take On Power Plant

Posted on: Friday, 8 July 2005, 18:00 CDT

Groups Ask EPA To Get Tough at Four Corners

Federal regulators should force the Four Corners Power Plant to clean up its air pollution emissions, three environmental groups said Thursday.

The Sierra Club, Grand Canyon Trust and National Parks Conservation Association petitioned the Environmental Protection Agency to set stringent limits for the plant.

"Its emissions are pretty bad, and they've been operating with very little control," said Jennifer De Garmo, a co-chairwoman of the Sierra Club's central New Mexico group. "We're giving EPA a little nudge."

The plant, operated by Arizona Public Service, is considered a major polluter in the San Juan County area. It released more total nitrogen oxides than any power plant in the country last year, according to the Environmental Integrity Project.

The current EPA permit for the plant does not include any emissions limits or monitoring requirements for nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide or particulates, according to the petition.

"It's a sorry state of affairs," said Reed Zars, an attorney representing the environmental groups.

EPA environmental engineer Steve Frey said the agency is working on new emissions limits for the plant.

"There still are other regulations that fall into play," he said, adding that other rules already require some monitoring.

The environmental groups also would like to see APS voluntarily agree to clean up the plant and point to a $200 million commitment made by Public Service Company of New Mexico in March to dramatically reduce emissions at its nearby San Juan Generating Station. That deal settled a lawsuit filed by the Sierra Club and Grand Canyon Trust.

APS spokeswoman Sheri Foote said the company had not seen the petition.

The company has invested about $600 million in pollution controls in the last three decades and has been researching ways to further reduce emissions, she said.

"We continue to work very hard in that area to determine what we can achieve at the plant," Foote said.

Meanwhile, the Navajo Nation is in the process of taking over regulation of the plant's air quality.

When the Four Corners Power Plant's five units are operating at full capacity, the plant burns 28,000 tons of coal a day, producing 2,040 megawatts of electricity.

Source: Albuquerque Journal

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