Tribal Partners
In the News
FINAL CLOSURE OF MOHAVE GENERATING STATION SIGNALS END OF ERA FOR THE WEST'S DIRTIEST POWER PLANT AND SIGNALS NEW ERA OF CLEAN ENERGY FOR NAVAJO AND HOPI PEOPLE
With the announcement from Mohave's operator that they will no longer work to re-open the 1500 megawatt coal-fired plant, the Just Transition Plan now stands as the most
viable solution for tribal economic development.
FLAGSTAFF, AZ -- Just Transition Coalition members expressed hope for a renewable energy future today following the announcement by Southern California Edison (Edison) that the utility will no longer work to re-open the Mohave Generating Station that shut down on December 31, 2005.
The permanent closure of the Mohave power plant in Laughlin, NV signals an end of an era and a possible new beginning, coalition members said.
The plant has been closed because neither coal or water contracts were in place to continue, and the owners chose not to make the agreed upon investments in pollution control with those uncertainties. This announcement means that the Mohave owners, primarily Edison, will no longer maintain this coal burning power plant on stand by status to reopen in the future.
Other owners of the plant are Salt River Project, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, and Sierra Pacific's Nevada Power.
The Just Transition Plan is a proposal from several citizen groups to encourage development of renewable energy, such as wind and solar projects, on the Navajo and Hopi reservations in northern Arizona as a long term solution to the pollution and groundwater pumping needed to run the Mohave power plant. Funding for these new energy projects is proposed to come from the windfall profits made by the Mohave owners from the sale of federal pollution credits not used for offsetting sulfur dioxide emissions from the Mohave plant.
Enei Begaye, member of the Just Transition Coalition, said "A permanent closure of the Mohave plant presents a great opportunity for both the Navajo and Hopi tribes to redirect tribal funds from negotiations with Edison into rebuilding. The Just Transition proposal is a way to bring the Navajo and Hopi people a long term sustainable and healthy economy."
"The Mohave plant represents the past, but renewable energy proposed through the Just Transition Plan represents the future for cleaner energy for California and long term jobs for the Navajo and Hopi people," said Wahleah Johns of the Black Mesa Water Coalition, another coalition partner.
In May, 2006, utility regulators in California approved part of the Just Transition Plan that forced SCE to set aside tens of millions of dollars from their sale of sulfur dioxide allowances through a federal pollution trading program. With this latest announcement, the Just Transition Plan becomes the most viable plan for economic development from Mohave's closure, according to the coalition.
"Now is the time for our tribal leaders to join the people in building a new and clean start, " said Enei Begaye of the Black Mesa Water Coalition.
"Mohave's closure is hopefully a turning point for our energy dependence on coal to a just transition towards cleaner wind and solar," said Andy Bessler, Southwest Representative for the Sierra Club. "It also helps us deal with global warming since coal-fired power plants are the leading source of climate warming carbon dioxide gas pollution."
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