Sunday, December 22, 2024

Council OK’s lease to keep NGS open

Council OK’s lease to keep NGS open

LECHEE, Ariz.

After nearly eight hours of debate, the Navajo Nation Council on Monday passed legislation that will permit the Navajo Generating Station to remain open through 2019.

The Council voted 18-4 on the bill, introduced by Speaker LoRenzo Bates on May 24, just five days before the July 1st deadline, imposed by the plant owners for a decision by the Nation.

The approval comes after the Council voted on June 19 to table the measure and to check whether the plant’s owners would be open to some amendments or not.

The Council last night gave thumbs up to four of nine amendments to the bill, which concern the use of water, the resolution of disputes, and the swapping of some language.

The Nation and the five utility owners – Arizona Public Service Co., NV Energy, Salt River Project, Tucson Electric Power, and the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation – have been negotiating a replacement lease since February 13, when the owners voted to close the plant at the end of December 2019 because of competition from cheap natural gas.

The plant would have been been shut down and the owners would have started decommissioning it as soon as next week if the Council did not pass the legislation.


 To read the full article, pick up your copy of the Navajo Times at your nearest newsstand Thursday mornings!

Are you a digital subscriber? Read the most recent three weeks of stories by logging in to your online account.

  Find newsstand locations at this link.

Or, subscribe via mail or online here.




About The Author

Krista Allen

Krista Allen is editor of the Navajo Times.

ADVERTISEMENT

Weather & Road Conditions

Window Rock Weather

Overcast

37.9 F (3.3 C)
Dewpoint: 3.0 F (-16.1 C)
Humidity: 23%
Wind: calm
Pressure: 30.19

More weather »

ADVERTISEMENT