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WildEarth Guardians Calls on Arizona Public Service Co. to Fully Power Past Coal
Contact: Jeremy Nichols (303) 573-4898 x1303

Denver, CO– Nov. 9. WildEarthGuardians today applauded Arizona Public Service Company’s recent announcementthat it plans to shutdown Units 1-3 at the Four Corners Power Plant innorthwestern New Mexico, but cautioned that the move to keep Units 4 and 5 inoperation would continue leave the region vulnerable to air pollution.

“This is a half-baked solution to the urgent need to protectour clean air, our climate, and the health of our communities from dirty energy.” said Jeremy Nichols, Climate and EnergyProgram Director for WildEarth Guardians. “Although laudable, this is simply not enough. Arizona Public Service needs to do more to power past coaland toward clean energy in the Four Corners.”

Every year, the coal-fired Four Corners Power Plant releasestens of thousands of tons of toxic pollutants including mercury, smog-formingnitrogen oxides, haze-forming sulfur dioxide, and carbon dioxide. The plant has a generating capacity of2,270 megawatts and consists of five coal-fired boilers. Unit 1 and 2 each have a capacity of190 megawatts, Unit 3 has a capacity of 253 megawatts, and Units 4 and 5 eachhave a capacity of 818 megawatts.

The latest proposal would keep Units 4 and 5, the largestcoal-fired boilers at the plant open indefinitely. Combined, these units release more than 26,000 tons ofnitrogen oxide pollution, as much as is released by more than 1.3 millionpassenger vehicles (according to the EPA, a standard car releases 38.2 poundsof nitrogen oxides, http://www.epa.gov/otaq/consumer/f00013.htm). They also release more than 10,000,000tons of carbon dioxide, which is equivalent to deforesting 86,000 acres offorest annually. Click here to seeemissions by unit at the Four Corners Power Plant.

Although Arizona Public Service has committed to pollutioncontrol upgrades at Units 4 and 5, even with new controls, the plant wouldcontinue to be one of the largest sources of air pollution in the region.

“Better pollution controls don’t change the fact that coalis the dirtiest source of energy,” said Nichols. “And with clean energy solutions at our fingertips, it justdoesn’t make sense to keep the Four Corners region dependent on coal.”

Arizona Public Service Company’s proposal comes as SouthernCalifornia Edison announced it would divest its 48% ownership of the FourCorners Power Plant and as concerns over public health and the environmentcontinue to mount against the power plant. In October, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agencyannounced a plan to retrofit the power plant with state of the art pollutioncontrols to reduce haze in the region. Increasingly, mercury pollution from the power plant is linked withwater contamination in the San Juan River drainage and the plant is one of thelargest contributors to the region’s smog pollution.

Read the Four Corners Power Plant Factsheet here.