Mohave Power Plant looking at restarting

By Kathy Helms
Diné Bureau

WINDOW ROCK — Southern California Edison Co., in its July 2 monthly status report to the California Public Utilities Commission, said it has received further inquiries regarding the restart of Mohave Generating Station in Laughlin, Nev.

SCE is required to file monthly reports with the Commission's Energy Division regarding any progress made on coal and water negotiations related to the post-2005 operation of Mohave, Coconino-Aquifer studies, and investigation into alternatives.

In its May 22 report, SCE said that after extensive efforts to sell its Mohave interests to parties who would try to restart the plant, it was discontinuing its effort.

"Accordingly, SCE and the other Mohave co-owners were instead turning their focus to other possible uses or dispositions of the Mohave site, and they were in the process of ceasing various activities aimed at preserving and facilitating a possible restart of the existing plant," the report states.

"Since that date, SCE has received further inquiries from parties interested in the possibility of purchasing and restarting the plant.

"In light of these inquiries, and to allow for adequate review and evaluation, certain low-cost and very time-critical permit renewal activity necessary to preserving the plant's air permit and its permit for construction of the air pollution control equipment that would be required for a restart, has gone forward," SCE said.

Other activities, including work on the Black Mesa Project Environmental Impact Statement, remains suspended for the moment, according to SCE. At the same time, Mohave owners are going ahead with plans to reduce the work force and decommission the plant in the event that is their ultimate decision.

The Black Mesa EIS consists of several proposed actions which include an increase in coal produced from the Black Mesa mining operation, and an increase in the amount of water used to slurry the coal from Black Mesa to Mohave. The Black Mesa Complex has been operated by Peabody Western Coal Co. since the early 1970s.</sub>C-aquifer
developmentSalt River Project, one of Mohave's co-owners, has proposed constructing and operating a new water supply system, including a proposed well field near Leupp, and a 108-mile-long water supply pipeline to convey water from the C-aquifer to the Black Mesa Complex.

C-aquifer water would replace most, but not all, of the water needed for the Black Mesa operation, which previously has relied on the more pristine Navajo-aquifer water.

Additionally, the Navajo Nation has drafted a Memorandum of Understanding between it and the city of Flagstaff which calls for exploring C-aquifer water development to meet future needs of both entities. The MOU also recommends that the Bureau of Reclamation conduct feasibility studies of three water supply alternatives identified in the North Central Arizona Water Supply Study of 2006.

The MOU was tabled by the Intergovernmental Relations Committee of the Navajo Nation Council because the proposal was not taken before the Navajo people for a vote in the affected chapters before it was passed by the Resources Committee and came before IGR for final passage.

The MOU was tabled last weekend by the Western Navajo Agency Council for the same reason. Leupp Chapter is expected to consider the MOU today, followed by Tolani Lake on July 13, and Birdsprings Chapter on July 15.

"Navajo should not be giving up water to other entities when we are in a severe drought as we face global warming," said Calvin Johnson of Leupp, a member of the grassroots group C-Aquifer for Din.

"It is very odd that the city of Flagstaff is willing to work with the Navajo Nation about the development of C-Aquifer while at the same time Flagstaff is not willing to listen to people about the Snowbowl issues," he said.Flagstaff's roleAt an April 19 meeting of the Flagstaff Water Commission, members voted to recommend approval of the MOU to the City Council. Ron Doba of the Water Commission told members that the MOU was going through the Navajo approval process concurrently with the city of Flagstaff approval process. However, the MOU was not presented to IGR until June 4.

"The Navajo are in dire need of water supplies for LeChee and Cameron. One of the most important projects to the Navajo, of those being considered by the work the Bureau of Reclamation is doing, is the Western Navajo Pipeline. The Navajo desire the city's support for this project and our water counsel (Lee Storey) has indicated in the past that she believes, in the long run, Flagstaff will need not only the C-Aquifer pipeline from Red Gap, but the Western Navajo pipeline as well," Doba told Water Commission members.

"For this reason, staff has taken a position to support the Western Navajo pipeline along with the Navajo as part of the Little Colorado River Adjudication settlement. Basically, the Navajo are willing to work with the city of Flagstaff on C-Aquifer pumping issues in return for the city supporting the Western Navajo Pipeline," Doba said, according to minutes from the meeting.

He said city staff has been working with the Navajo Nation to come to an agreement on managing groundwater pumping from the C-Aquifer in the vicinity of Red Gap Ranch. "The intent of the agreement is to avoid future claims by the Navajo that the city is damaging the reserved rights of the Navajo Nation," Doba said.

"Numerous meetings have taken place over the past year with legal council present for both sides. The first product of these meetings is this Memorandum of Understanding that memorializes our intent to address the identified objectives in a formal written agreement by the end of August 2007.

"Meetings have already taken place addressing the formal agreement and both the Navajo Department of Water Resources and the City of Flagstaff believe we are on our way to accomplishing this," he said.