Cautious optimism greets Obama’s climate plan Gallup Independent June 27, 2013 By Kathy Helms Diné Bureau navajo1@gallupindependent WINDOW ROCK — President Barack Obama’s approval rating might not have soared, but the announcement Tuesday of “The President’s Climate Action Plan” diverted national attention from other scandals that have been dogging him lately. Although reaction to Obama’s plan to slow climate change was perceived by some as a war on coal and a victory for the oil and gas industry, for others, such as the Navajo Nation where coal represents a major source of jobs and revenue, the plan was greeted with cautious optimism. “Today, about 40 percent of America’s carbon pollution comes from our power plants. But here’s the thing: Right now, there are no federal limits to the amount of carbon pollution that those plants can pump into our air. None. Zero. We limit the amount of toxic chemicals like mercury and sulfur and arsenic in our air or our water, but power plants can still dump unlimited amounts of carbon pollution into the air for free. That’s not right, that’s not safe, and it needs to stop,” Obama said. “So today, for the sake of our children, and the health and safety of all Americans, I’m directing the Environmental Protection Agency to put an end to the limitless dumping of carbon pollution from our power plants, and complete new pollution standards for both new and existing power plants.” The president said burning natural gas is about half as carbon- intensive as coal, which can make it a critical “bridge fuel’ for many countries as the world transitions to cleaner sources of energy. “Going forward, we will promote fuelswitching from coal to gas for electricity production and encourage the development of a global market for gas,” he said. Navajo impact Obama’s climate plan comes as the Navajo Nation Council prepares Friday to rescind a resolution amending the lease for Navajo Generating Station. Council will be asked to approve new amendments for NGS and also will receive a status report on Navajo Transitional Energy Co. and the Nation’s pending purchase of BHP Billiton’s Navajo Mine. Last week, BHP said closing of the transaction for NTEC to purchase the mine will be delayed until Arizona Public Service Co. and Four Corners Power Plant participants decide to move forward on APS’s plans to acquire Southern California Edison’s 48 percent interest in the plant. That decision has stalled pending further clarification of the Arizona Corporation Commission’s intent on possible deregulation of the retail electric market. “The Navajo Nation supports President Obama’s climate action plan but remains mindful of the important role fossil energy has in providing secure, low-cost energy for the country. The Navajo Nation is supportive of an all-of-theabove energy approach and is optimistic as we go down this road,” President Ben Shelly said. “Though we look forward to new technologies that will be more environmentally sound, we hope that as policies are developed, the policies include time and resources for economies dependent upon fossil fuels to transition into cleaner energy.” Shelly said he was heartened to see specific mention for alternative energy resources and climate change preparedness specific to tribes. “We applaud the president for taking such a bold step at addressing climate change and we stand at the ready to address climate change for our future generations.” Utility concerns The Navajo Nation receives a substantial portion of its general fund revenue from the three coal-fired power plants in the Four Corner area, all of which are making efforts to reduce harmful emissions and are concerned about the responsible implementation of Obama’s climate plan. Scott Harelson of Salt River Project Media Relations, said, “It is unclear how the president’s plan will impact the Navajo Generating Station as, under the Clean Air Act, EPA has to work with states to determine any changes to current regulations. “We recognize that power plants are a source of GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions, however they are also a critical source of reliable, around-theclock electricity. Because climate changes is a global challenge, a variety of stakeholders, including utilities, utility customers, the transportation sector and other industries and even other nations, will need to address this issue,” he said. Two companies already have announced their exit from NGS by 2019 when the current lease expires, and owners are anxiously awaiting a ruling on the Best Available Retrofit Technology from EPA. Damon Gross of APS Media Relations, said, “APS is firmly committed to environmental stewardship and has made significant progress in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. For example, we have reduced CO2 emissions at our power plants by 1.6 million tons since 2008 and reduced CO2 emissions from our vehicle fleet by 24 percent since 2008. Together with the increase in our solar and other renewable energy resources, APS’s carbon footprint continues to improve. “As climate change regulations are considered, it is important that they be implemented nationally and across all industries. They also must contain achievable compliance limits and allow us to continue to provide reliable, affordable electric service to our customers.” Level playing field PNM Resources, which operates San Juan Generating Station, said the company has long supported a national approach to setting carbon standards to promote consistency and provide a level playing field. “PNM is already taking significant steps that will reduce nitrogen oxide emissions to meet federal visibility regulations and bring about additional emission reductions, including carbon dioxide, not called for by the regulations,” Pahl Shipley of PNM Corporate Communications said. Earlier this year the company reached agreement with EPA and the state of New Mexico to retire two of the plant’s four units. Nitrogen oxide emissions reduction equipment will be installed on the remaining two units. Overall the plan will reduce GHG emissions by about 50 percent, cut nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide emissions by more than 60 percent, and reduce particulates by half. It’s also estimated that the plan will cut water use at the plant by more than 50 percent. “By the end of 2017, PNM will have reduced its use of coalfired power to less than 40 percent of overall capacity, and will have significantly increased the diversity of our fuel portfolio”, Shipley said. “Plans are to replace a portion of the retired power capacity by locating a natural gas-fired peaking facility on the San Juan site. “This aggressive initiative is already in the works, and we are hopeful that the federal government will count these efforts toward the overall carbonreduction goal. Large-scale changes such as this must be done in a responsible, carefully planned manner to maintain system reliability and to minimize the cost impact to customers,” he said. In the meantime, PNM continues to move forward with bringing renewable energy sources online. “This year we are adding 22 megawatts of solar generation, doubling our capacity. And next year we expect to add 10 megawatts of geothermal power,” Shipley said.
Posted on: Sat, 29 Jun 2013 02:12:56 +0000
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