LWVMZC Newsletter

Smokestacks, Scrubbers and Seeing Shiprock, Updated

EPA IS REQUESTING OUR INPUT

Last October, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) San Francisco Office proposed a plan for reducing air emissions at the Four Corners Power Plant (FCPP) on the Navajo Reservation. A month later, the Arizona Public Service Company (APS), the majority owner of the FCPP, proposed to EPA that generation units 1− 3 be shut down and that additional scrubbers be installed on remaining units 4 and 5 by 2018. The APS proposal is available at: http://www.regulations.gov/#! docketDetail;rpp=10;so=DESC;sb=postedDate;po=20;D=EPA-R09-OAR-2010-0683. (The title of the proposal is “Signed letter from APS to EPA”, dated 11−24−2010.)

Editor’s Note: The above link requires “Flash” on your computer.

Because of the potential for changes to the EPA plan associated with the APS proposal, on Feb. 11, 2011 EPA published a new FCPP supplemental notice for public comments. Open houses and public hearings will be held at Shiprock, Fruitland, Farmington and Durango during March 29-31, 2011. The new deadline for public comment is May 2, 2011 for both EPA notices (of 10/19/10 & 02/11/11). The EPA is now proposing to allow FCPP to shutdown generating units 1-3 by 2014 and to implement a NOX limit of 0.098 lb/MM Btu on remaining units 4-5 by July 31, 2018. Contact is Dr. Anita Lee, (415)-972-3958, San Francisco.

In an independent action by EPA Dallas, a January 5, 2011 proposal was published entitled: “Federal Implementation Plan for Interstate Transport of Pollution Affecting Visibility and Best Available Retrofit Technology (BART) Determination”. An open house and public hearing was held by the EPA at Farmington, NM on Feb. 17, 201l. This EPA proposal is more complex than the one for the Four Corners Power Plant, because in addition to including a BART evaluation for the San Juan plant, it also addresses: 1.) The lack of a New Mexico regional haze strategy; 2.) the likelihood of air quality impacts from the San Juan Generating Station spilling north into Colorado, and further reducing visibility at Mesa Verde National Park; and 3.) enforcement complications with the 2005 Consent Decree for the reduction of oxides of nitrogen, sulfur dioxide, particulate matter and mercury emitted from the San Juan Generating Station. The bottom line for this action is: The San Juan plant is also going through the BART process, and EPA is proposing new limits on oxides of nitrogen, sulfur dioxide, sulfuric acid, and ammonia at this plant. Public comment deadline has been extended two weeks and is now March 21, 2011. Our local League submitted comments on Feb. 14, 2011 to the EPA Docket. Please consider submitting your own individual comments as well. Contact is Joe Kordzi (214)-665-7186.