New Mexico governor and ecologists oppose Desert Rock project

Frank Maisano, a spokesman for the project planners of a New Mexico power station, says that the developers are saddened with the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ (BIA) decision to withdraw the biological assessment for the proposed Desert Rock energy project.

BIA last week did not give approval to the project over concerns about the environmental impacts of selenium and mercury on San Juan River’s two endangered fish species.

Jerry Gidner, Director of BIA, informed that the new resolution allows more time for negotiations among federal agencies – including the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Fish and Wildlife Service. Governor Bill Richardson meanwhile called the BIA decision as beneficial for the air and water.

It was the second evaluation of federal assessments for the $3 billion coal power plant project on Navajo Nation. Earlier in September, the Environmental Appeals Board approved a plea by regional EPA officials to review sections of the project’s air permit, issued in 2008.

Environmentalists and the local government of New Mexico had expressed fears about the power station, saying a coal-fired plant could have bad effects to the human health, quality of air and environment. Mike Eisenfeld, a critic from San Juan Citizens Alliance, stressed that the Desert Rock project should never be constructed.

However, energy firms Sithe Global and Dine Power Authority, who had partnered to construct the 1.5GW power plant in Farmington, said that the Desert Rock project would be one of the nation’s cleanest coal-fired power stations. They also informed that the project could generate jobs and over $50 million in annual earnings.