EPA decision on Grand Canyon plant delayed

PHOENIX, July 21 (UPI) -- Federal officials say a decision on pollution controls for a power plant near the Grand Canyon will be delayed, giving opponents more time to argue their case.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has been considering a proposal since 2009 to require air scrubbers at the coal-fired Navajo Generating Station near Page, which has long been blamed by environmentalists for contributing to haze over the national park.

A letter from the EPA's regional administrator to other federal officials said the agency would wait until at least early next year to issue its final decision, The Arizona Republic reported Thursday.

The plant's owners and largest customers have warned the new scrubbers would raise operating costs, resulting in higher electricity prices.

Environmental groups have strongly supported the EPA proposal to install the new pollution controls.

"Ultimately, we're supposed to have clean air. We're supposed to protect places like the Grand Canyon," Rob Smith, Sierra Club regional director, said in June. "We understand the concerns about increased costs, but it's 12 miles from the Grand Canyon. We have the technology to clean this plant up."