NGS Part II: Proposed NOx Emissions Guidelines for the Navajo Generating Station

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The essentials

  • The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Regional Haze Rule, authorized under the Clean Air Act, requires a state or federal agency to draft plans to reduce haze and increase visibility in the nation’s National Parks.
  • On January 18, 2013, the EPA issued its air pollution limits proposal for the Navajo Generating Station (NGS) due to its proximity to the Grand Canyon National Park and ten other Class I Federal protected areas, including seven other National Parks and Wilderness Areas. The NGS is one of the largest sources of nitrogen dioxide (NOx) emissions in the United States.
  • Under these rules, NGS’s owners will be required to install Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) technology by 2018. Due to the NGS’s economic importance to several Native American tribes, the EPA is considering allowing a five-year extension for the installation.
  • UPDATE: The EPA is accepting public comments through August 5, 2013.

Navajo Generating Station Background Sheet: pre-EPA NOx and SO2 rulemaking

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The essentials

  • The Navajo Generating Station (NGS) is a 2,250 megawatt coal-fired power plant located a few miles from the beginning of the Grand Canyon, within the Navajo Nation, near Page, Arizona
  • About 25% of the electricity generated at NGS is dedicated to pumping Central Arizona Project (CAP) water from the Colorado River from behind Parker Dam over 300 miles to metropolitan Phoenix and Tucson.
  • The NGS draws its cooling water from nearby Lake Powell.
  • The Environmental Protection Agency is in the process of issuing new guidelines restricting air pollutants from industrial facilities that restrict visibility, including fine particulate matter (PM2.5), nitrogen oxide (NOX) and sulfur dioxide (SO2).
  • The regional haze reduction guidelines will impact NGS operations, which in turn could impact community health and water quality locally, as well as water quality, water availability, and water rates in those areas served by the CAP.
  • It is feasible that these new guidelines may influence a decision to close NGS.