The Show on KJZZ

Listen live weekdays at 9 a.m.

Conservation Groups Challenge EPA Decision On Arizona Coal Plant

By Steve Goldstein
Published: Wednesday, October 8, 2014 - 9:11am

Conservation groups say a federal rule to cut haze-causing nitrogen oxide emissions at a northern Arizona coal plant is too lenient.

The groups petitioned the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday to review the decision by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The agency said the owners of the Navajo Generating Station in Page can either shut down one of the plant's 750-megawatt units or reduce power generation by an equal amount by 2020. The owners would have until 2030 to install pollution controls to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by 80 percent.

Conservation groups wanted the plant on a quicker path to cleanup. They said the EPA's decision doesn't meet requirements of the Clean Air Act.