After An Inconvenient Truth won an Oscar for “Best Documentary,” I got the impression that people across the nation concurred on the necessity of taking preemptive measures toward curbing greenhouse gases.  Boy, was I misled.  Tinsel Town only represents a small fraction of our nation, most of whom are multimillionaires zipping through Hollywood in their Priuses.

On March 21, the University of New Mexico School of Law is going to host a dialogue from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. about the Desert Rock Energy Project, a 1,500-megawatt coal-fired electric power plant to be built south of Farmington, NM.  

The project was proposed by Sithe Global Power, LLC, a private Houston-based power company.  Sithe Global Power created the project in accordance with guidelines provided by the Diné Power Authority (DPA), an enterprise created by the Navajo National Council with the expressed goal of developing energy resources while promoting economic development.

Proponents of the Desert Rock project assert that the plant uses clean energy while creating hundreds of new jobs and pouring millions of dollars into the Navajo Nation.  For some in New Mexico who can’t afford the luxuries of Hollywood celebrities and DC politicians, this project may seem practical and beneficial.

However, strong opponents of Desert Rock claim that the plant will pose environmental dangers while increasing the production of greenhouse gases.  

According to desert-rock-blog.com, “At a time when Gov. Bill Richardson seeks to reduce carbon-dioxide emissions by 11 tons a year, Desert Rock would, by itself, pump that much carbon dioxide into the air over Navajo Country, to dissipate and prompt more global warming.  And of course there would be more air pollutants for westerly winds to waft into the Río Grande Valley, not to mention mercury to poison our water.”

The blog continued, “If New Mexico is to go on serving as an energy colony for major cities, let us at least do so in a nonpolluting way:  We’ve made great steps in wind power, and we’re the scene of some higher-promise solar technology, too.  The clear skies and windblown bluffs of the Navajo Nation offer excellent locations for alternative energy—and that’s the field worth encouragement from Congress and from the New Mexico Legislature.”

The Desert Rock Energy Project still needs to be reviewed by the National Environmental Policy Act, which will ask questions such as:
•    Is there a valid purpose and need for the project?
•    Have a reasonable range of alternatives been considered?
•    Is the proposed project consistent with applicable existing regulations and plans?
•    Will the proposed project cause adverse effects on the human and natural environment?
•    Is mitigation effective in minimizing impact?
•    Has the public been informed about the proposed project and had an opportunity to express issues or concerns?
How does one contend with such a momentous decision?  
Yes, there is a valid purpose for the project.  It will bolster the Navajo Nation’s economy.  Yes, because it is a hybrid power plant, it does abide by existing regulations.  However, it will have a significant and adverse impact on the people and the natural environment.  It will pollute the skies and water.  It will poison the region’s natural inhabitants.  And yes, there are other alternatives, such as wind and solar power plants, which produce zero emissions.  
Is it really a question of the bottom line?  Is it really a question of practicality and necessity?  Is what Upton Sinclair said true?  He told us, “You can’t make somebody understand something if their salary depends upon them not understanding it.”  For some, sadly, I do believe that the answer is yes.
And in all honesty, I think the only way to win them over is to buy them out.