Thursday, Jun 30 2011 3:31PM
Many members of the Navajo Nation in Arizona work at the generating plant and would lose their jobs if its owners decide to shut it down.
Closing the Navajo Generating Station, which supplies nearly all of the electricity needed to deliver water from the Colorado River to Arizona residents, would lead to higher water rates for consumers in the state, Pamela Pickard, president of the Central Arizona Water Conservation District, stated in the Arizona Republic.
In an editorial for the newspaper, Pickard said the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) wants the station to install a new $1.2 billion control system for increased pollution control, despite the plant recently installing a $45 million control system.
The extensive costs for a new control system may lead the station's owners to shut down, which Pickard stated would lead to considerably higher water bills for Arizonans.
Additionally, Pickard said the Navajo Nation and Hopi Tribe would be negatively affected by the potential closing, as both earn millions of dollars in combined wages, lease payments and royalties associated with the station.
Other concerns exist for the Navajo Nation in Arizona. Public meetings have been held recently to discuss the Navajo Nation's water rights from the lower Colorado River Basin.