BRIGHT SUN VS DARK COAL IN AZ

Arizona's Other Problem: Will Big Coal Power Line Destroy Solar Boom, Endangered Grasslands, Pioneer Heritage?
Jeff Biggers, June 22, 2010 (Huffington Post)

"The showdown in sunny Arizona now turns to clean energy versus dirty coal.

"..,[S]ome residents claim their borderlands utility company is reportedly locking its customers into a costly and toxic dirty-energy future to cater to the potential demands of a Canadian mining operation…[C]lean energy advocates in southern Arizona say the Sulphur Springs Valley Electric Cooperative (SSVEC) is proposing a wildly unnecessary and increasingly prohibitive coal-fired power line that could effectively destroy a unique grassland habitat in the southern Arizona desert region for nearly two dozen endangered or threatened species, raze a nearly 200-year-old historic Spanish-land-grant Babacomari ranch, displace needed film and rural jobs, and ultimately raise utility rates…"

It's a simple choice: This or...(click to enlarge)

"…[At] Canadian mining company…Wildcat Silver's huge open pit mine…[the] deposit is emerging as one of the most important silver and manganese development projects in the US…[with] an estimated net present value totaling $295 million--or $450 million, depending on market rates…Dirty coal for dirty silver?

"Despite its sunny image, southern Arizona is already saddled with seven "high hazardous" toxic coal ash dumps. On America's classic home on the range, nothing but discouraging words are being uttered about the increasing human and social costs of dirty coal…[A 2009 EPA study] estimated "up to 1 in 50 nearby residents could get cancer from exposure to arsenic leaking into drinking water wells…Threats are also posed by high levels of other metals, including boron, selenium and lead." …[T]he nearby Apache Generating Station has been ranked as one of the worst coal-fired polluters in the nation."

...This. (click to enlarge)

"…Seeking to shift away from Arizona's dependence on dirty coal, a remarkable Mountain Empire Energy Project citizens movement sprang up in the ranching area for clean energy development and energy efficiency with extraordinary success. Thanks to local efforts to explain the rebate incentive program, SSVEC was recently crowned the nation's [top utility in watts-per-customer solar use and]… the Solar Electric Power Association conferred the national honor on SSVEC for being a leader in [utility solar]…

"…[W]ith renewable energy booming [why] does SSVEC want to hurriedly build a massive and controversial 69,000 volt (69kV) coal-fired-powered sub-transmission line that far surpasses the needs of the area? …[Solar advocates cite a] feasibility study [that] describes options other than the power line…options [that] are significantly more economical…At an upcoming public hearing before the Arizona Corporation Commission next week, southern Arizona residents hope the truth behind…SSVEC's machinations will be discussed. Meanwhile, the nation will be watching whether Arizona continues to be pioneers in solar energy, or locked into a dirty coal past."