Congressman Salazar applauds EPA action to reduce pollution in Southwest Colorado

WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman John Salazar today praised the EPA decision to require a retrofit of the Four Corners Power Plant to install the Best Available Retrofit Technology on its smokestacks.  The agency is calling for the plant near Farmington, New Mexico, to implement the latest technologies in emission control to reduce the amount of nitrous oxides (NOX) the plant releases per year to around a fifth of the current levels.  

John has been fighting for cleaner air in the Four Corners area since coming to Congress.  He was a leader in the opposition to the proposed Desert Rock Energy Plant, and the only member of the Colorado delegation to formally oppose it.  Because of the concerns and opposition expressed by Congressman Salazar and other community leaders, the proposal faded earlier this year.  He objected to the new plant because the air in the region already contained significant levels of mercury, nitrous oxides, and carbon dioxides. The high level of pollution in the Four Corners area has led to significant concerns for people’s health particularly for the elderly, children and people with lung conditions such as asthma.

Congressman Salazar made the following comment upon hearing the news:

“This announcement by EPA is great news for Southwest Colorado. The technology that will be used in this retrofit to the Four Corners Power Plant will improve our air quality in a dramatic way. This plant is the largest emitter of NOX in the nation and cleaning it up is a major step forward in getting cleaner air for our kids and communities.  This is a commonsense solution using technology to improve our air quality and it has my full support.”