Tax breaks for Navajo power plant tabled for now

Tuesday, January 30, 2007  

A bill to provide tax breaks for a power plant on the Navajo Nation was tabled by a New Mexico House committee on Monday.

Elouise Brown of the Dooda Desert Rock Committee, a Navajo group that oppose the power plant, testified before the House Energy and Natural Resources Committee. She said Navajo elders are camped out at the project site to protest the potential environmental impacts.

The Navajo Nation approved the $2.5 billion Desert Rock facility. Sithe Global Power, a Houston company, plans to operate the coal-fired power plant to provide electricity to Phoenix, Las Vegas and other urban areas in the West.

The project site is near Shiprock, New Mexico. Navajos say the power plant will harm the environment and destroy sacred sites.

Get the Story:
ower plant deal hits hurdle (The Santa Fe New Mexican 1/30)
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Tax break for coal-fired plant falters in committee (AP 1/29)

Relevant Links:
Desert Rock Clean Air Act Proposed PSD Permit - http://www.epa.gov/region09/air/permit
Desert Rock Energy Project - http://www.desertrockenergy.com
Diné Citizens Against Ruining our Environment - http://dinecare.indigenousnative.org

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