ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - Business leaders on Thursday
outlined the economic devastation they say could come if New
Mexico regulators fail to approve a plan to shut down part
of a decades-old coal-fired power plant to meet a federal
mandate.
The Public Regulation Commission is close to deciding
whether to approve a plan by
Public Service Co. of New Mexico to close part of the
San Juan Generating Plant and replace it with a mix of
more coal along with nuclear, natural gas and solar power.
Members of the Association of Commerce and Industry, the
Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce, Four Corners
Economic Development and other groups are siding with the
utility.
They say the plan represents a balanced approach to curbing
pollution, protecting jobs and continuing to supply
customers with affordable electricity.
But environmental groups say the utility isn't doing enough
to wean itself from coal and is setting up ratepayers to
bear the costs of future environmental regulations.
A group of about 20 protesters rallied outside while the
business groups warned that closing the entire plant would
have a ripple effect through the Four Corners region.
Kim Carpenter, the executive officer for San Juan County,
said millions of dollars in tax revenue for the local school
district, the community college and the county's coffers are
at stake.
Any decrease in revenue would compound the problems the
county has seen over the last six years, he said, pointing
to more than $53 million in budget cuts.
"This this kind of situation could really create turmoil,"
Carpenter said. "And frankly speaking, I'm sick and tired of
people telling us how to live when they don't live in our
community. I'm tired of the picketing with what's going on
when they've never set foot in the county."
Camilla Feibelman with the Sierra Club said PNM and other
utilities need to start planning as electricity markets
shift from coal. The jobs that would be lost by closing San
Juan and the mine could be replaced if steps are taken now,
she said.
"It's like Kodak, the photography company. They couldn't get
ahead of the digital game. They went the way of the
dinosaurs, and PNM runs the same risk, and it's a real
disservice to workers to not plan ahead," she said.
Farmington and San Juan County officials suggested
unemployment could double to 12 percent if the plant were
forced to close and as much as $100 million in wages and
benefits would be lost.
"We're not just talking about numbers on a page, but we're
talking about real people," said Ray Hagerman, CEO of Four
Corners Economic Development.
The partial closure of San Juan will address the federal
government's call to reduce haze-causing pollution in the
Four Corners. As part of the plan, PNM will install
pollution controls on the two remaining units, provide more
than $1 million in job training funds and will not lay off
workers.
The utility has yet to finalize a coal purchase agreement to
ensure the plant is supplied after 2017, leaving critics to
question whether the days are numbered for both the plant
and the mine.
Chris Roop, a third-generation miner from Farmington, said
the plant and the mine will have a future if state
regulators approve PNM's plan.
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