NPCA Statement on Today's Announcement by Arizona Public Service Co. to Close a Coal-Fired Generator at the Cholla Power Plant

“Arizona Public Service Co.’s new plan to close three heavily polluting coal-fired generators at Cholla Power Plant will mean cleaner air and a healthier climate for the region. Cholla’s pollution affects 18 treasured national parks and wildernesses of the Southwest – acutely impacting Petrified Forest National Park and its 600,000 visitors every year.

“If this plan comes to fruition, it will be a Clean Air Act success story. The law on the books says that old power plants that pollute the air in national parks must clean up. We applaud Arizona Public Service Co.’s choice to shut down at least one of these units and close or transition two more to cleaner energy. The people and national parks in the Southwest have long awaited clean air, and today’s plan achieves this.

“The plant’s fourth unit is not included in today’s announcement because it is owned by another utility, PacifiCorp. As the largest and the dirtiest of the units, EPA has required that it install best available pollution controls. Perhaps PacifiCorp should think about an even more promising plan for this facility.”

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About National Parks Conservation Association
Since 1919, the nonpartisan National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) has been the leading voice in safeguarding our national parks. NPCA and its more than one million members and supporters work together to protect and preserve our nation’s natural, historical, and cultural heritage for future generations. For more information, visit www.npca.org.