• About
    • Which Energy Mix is this?
  • Climate News Network Archive
  • Contact
The climate news that makes a difference.
No Result
View All Result
The Energy Mix
  • Canada
  • UK & Europe
  • Fossil Fuels
  • Ending Emissions
  • Community Climate Finance
  • Clean Electricity Grid
  • Cities & Communities
SUBSCRIBE
DONATE
  • Canada
  • UK & Europe
  • Fossil Fuels
  • Ending Emissions
  • Community Climate Finance
  • Clean Electricity Grid
  • Cities & Communities
SUBSCRIBE
DONATE
No Result
View All Result
The Energy Mix
No Result
View All Result
  • Canada
  • UK & Europe
  • Fossil Fuels
  • Ending Emissions
  • Community Climate Finance
  • Clean Electricity Grid
  • Cities & Communities
  FEATURED
SPECIAL REPORT: ‘Defuse the Climate Time Bomb’ with Net-Zero by 2040, Guterres Urges G20 March 20, 2023
Devastating Impacts, Affordable Climate Solutions Drive IPCC’s Urgent Call for Action March 20, 2023
Window for 1.5°C ‘Rapidly Closing’, IPCC Warns March 20, 2023
Swift Action, Inclusive Resilience Vital in Face of Overlapping Climate Hazards March 20, 2023
Shift from Fossils to Renewables is Quickest, Cheapest Path to Cut Emissions, IPCC Report Shows March 20, 2023
Next
Prev

Advocates Declare ‘Historic Moment’ as Navajo Nation Abandons Bid for Arizona Coal Plant

March 25, 2019
Reading time: 4 minutes

Myrabella/Wikimedia Commons

Myrabella/Wikimedia Commons

15
SHARES
 

The Navajo Nation in Arizona is walking away from nearly 50 years of economic dependence on coal after dropping its bid to take over the 2,250-MW Navajo Generating Station, one of the largest remaining coal plants in the southwestern United States, and the Kayenta mine operated by the now-bankrupt Peabody Energy.

The Naa’bik’iyati’ Committee (Committee of the Whole) of the Navajo Council voted March 21 to reject Navajo Transitional Energy Company’s plan to buy out the two facilities, then immediately adopted a resolution that rescinded the Nation’s current, coal-focused energy policies and “declares the intention of the Nation to move beyond coal source revenues and forward to sustainable and renewable energy sources,” reports Western Clean Energy Campaign Executive Director Eric Frankowski, in a post for CleanTechnica.

  • The climate news you need. Subscribe now to our engaging new weekly digest.
  • You’ll receive exclusive, never-before-seen-content, distilled and delivered to your inbox every weekend.
  • The Weekender: Succinct, solutions-focused, and designed with the discerning reader in mind.
Subscribe

Past news reports had the Navajo and Hopi nations facing hundreds of job losses due to the coal plant’s imminent closure, but “serious financial risk” in the effort to acquire the two facilities.

“We are way behind in our planning for what comes next because so much time has been spent trying to keep Navajo Generating Station and Kayenta Mine running,” said Tó Nizhóní Áni Executive Director Nicole Horseherder. “It’s time for us to come together and work cooperatively on building a clean energy economy that benefits all Navajo. There’s much hard work ahead to create this transition, but with the leadership shown by the new Navajo Council and our new president, we have a bright future in front of us.”

“This is an historic moment for the Navajo, and the Council delegates should be thanked for their courage in listening to the people,” said Black Mesa Water Coalition Just Transition Campaigner Marie Gladue. “For a half century, coal has divided us, but we now have an incredible opportunity to come together to create something better, especially for places like Black Mesa. Now we will focus on building something better, a new economy more in line with Navajo culture and our way of life, protecting our land and water and benefitting all communities.”

“It’s been known for a long time that coal isn’t the future, but this final certainty is crucial,” said Diné CARE member Lori Goodman. “For anyone who’s been hesitant about moving strongly for renewable energy development, for building our economy in ways that will benefit our communities and our Mother Earth and Father Sky, now there is no reason or excuse to hold back. This moment is why our new council and president were elected. The legacy they will leave for the transition from coal starts now.”

“This is an important time to remember that vast resources were once spent to install coal operations on Navajo Nation, and that vast wealth and benefit was extracted for decades over the heads of so many Navajo communities,” said former Navajo Council member and Navajo County supervisor Percy Deal. “Remembering this past shows the path ahead: full corporate responsibility for affected coal workers, full restoration of damaged land and water, and full commitment now from utilities to be customers for clean energy resources from Navajo land in ways that benefit Navajo people.”

The Financial Post says decommissioning contracts for the coal plant could be issued as early as next month.

“Navajo leaders asked the Navajo Transitional Energy Company last year to look into acquiring the power plant and the coal mine as a way to save the revenue and hundreds of jobs held by tribal members,” the paper reports. “Negotiations with the power plant owners came to a halt recently over who ultimately would be responsible for cleanup.”

The current owners “wanted the energy company to take on any known or unknown liabilities for the plant, but the Navajo Nation declined. With that, and a decision Thursday from a Navajo Nation Council committee not to support the acquisition, the energy company called it quits.”

So far, about 280 power plant workers have found new jobs, retired, or declined to accept positions with the Salt River Project state utility, the Post states. “Peabody Energy, which runs the Kayenta Mine, laid off 40 employees in late February and is sending its last shipment of coal to the power plant before the end of September, company spokeswoman Charlene Murdock said. About 300 workers are at the mine.”

Elsewhere in Arizona, KTVN TV reports that 34 rural renewables projects developed between 2001 and 2017 are already generating US$9.4 billion in economic impact, nearly 18,000 jobs, $1.2 billion in wages, and $16.7 million in state and local tax revenue, according to a study by The Western Way and the Yuma County Chamber of Commerce. “Rural Arizona has some of the best solar resources in the country, and this report shows in great detail how the industry is benefiting our state with increased jobs and economic opportunities,” said Western Way Arizona Director Jaime Molera. “Over the last decade, market forces drove technological improvements leading to drops in the prices of utility-scale solar which are cost competitive for utilities and can save ratepayers money. More investment in utility scale renewables will grow Arizona’s rural economy.”

Continue Reading



in Cities & Communities, Clean Electricity Grid, Climate & Society, Coal, Community Climate Finance, Demand & Distribution, First Peoples, Fossil Fuels, Jobs & Training, Jurisdictions, Renewable Energy, Solar, Sub-National Governments, United States

The latest climate news and analysis, direct to your inbox

Subscribe

Related Posts

Kern River Valley Fire Info/Facebook
International Agencies & Studies

SPECIAL REPORT: ‘Defuse the Climate Time Bomb’ with Net-Zero by 2040, Guterres Urges G20

March 20, 2023
246
IFRC Intl. Federation:Twitter
International Agencies & Studies

Devastating Impacts, Affordable Climate Solutions Drive IPCC’s Urgent Call for Action

March 21, 2023
792
U.S. National Park Service/rawpixel
International Agencies & Studies

Window for 1.5°C ‘Rapidly Closing’, IPCC Warns

March 20, 2023
74

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

I agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.

Trending Stories

U.S. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement/flickr

Willow Oil Project in Alaska Faces Legal Challenges, Economic Doubts

March 19, 2023
528
Kenuoene/pixabay

Shift from Fossils to Renewables is Quickest, Cheapest Path to Cut Emissions, IPCC Report Shows

March 20, 2023
209
IFRC Intl. Federation:Twitter

Devastating Impacts, Affordable Climate Solutions Drive IPCC’s Urgent Call for Action

March 21, 2023
792
Kern River Valley Fire Info/Facebook

SPECIAL REPORT: ‘Defuse the Climate Time Bomb’ with Net-Zero by 2040, Guterres Urges G20

March 20, 2023
246
Secretariat of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine/Wikimedia Commons

IPCC Report Charts a Course for Ottawa’s ‘Clean Technology’ Budget

March 21, 2023
140
NTSB

Ohio Train Derailment, Toxic Chemical Spill Renews Fears Over Canada-U.S. Rail Safety

March 8, 2023
1.5k

Recent Posts

U.S. National Park Service/rawpixel

Window for 1.5°C ‘Rapidly Closing’, IPCC Warns

March 20, 2023
74
FMSC/Flickr

Swift Action, Inclusive Resilience Vital in Face of Overlapping Climate Hazards

March 20, 2023
69
Kiara Worth, UNClimateChange/flickr

Gap Between IPCC’s Science, National Actions Sets Challenge for COP 28

March 21, 2023
72
Photo by IISD/ENB

IPCC Sees Deeper Risk in Overshooting 1.5°C Warming Threshold

March 20, 2023
46
EcoFlight

Historic Deal Reopens B.C. Indigenous Territory to Fracking, Promises Land Restoration

March 19, 2023
448
Wikimedia Commons/Humans of Vanuatu

Six Countries Call for Fossil-Free Pacific

March 19, 2023
51
Next Post
LNG Canada/Facebook

Gas Industry Plans Multiple Projects to Boost Demand, Combat Record-Low Prices

The Energy Mix - The climate news you need

Copyright 2023 © Energy Mix Productions Inc. All rights reserved.

  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy and Copyright
  • Cookie Policy

Proudly partnering with…

scf_withtagline
No Result
View All Result
  • Canada
  • UK & Europe
  • Fossil Fuels
  • Ending Emissions
  • Community Climate Finance
  • Clean Electricity Grid
  • Cities & Communities

Copyright 2022 © Smarter Shift Inc. and Energy Mix Productions Inc. All rights reserved.

Manage Cookie Consent
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behaviour or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}