Big Bill Richardson’s dirty green pockets?

It looks like New Mexico’s governor and former presidential candidate isn’t quite such an environmentalist. Or, at least, that is the belief of someone in the Four Corners with a few dollars to blow on a billboard.

In the picture (click to enlarge), PNM is Public Service Company of New Mexico. The San Juan Generating Station is a coal-fired electric plant in the Four Corners area of the state which has seriously dirtied the skies of the state in it’s 30-plus years of history. The Four Corners Power Plant, built way back in 1963 and operated by PNM and Arizona Public Service, with Southern California Edison part owner of later units. was part of the 1950s deal that flooded Glen Canyon with Lake Powell in exchange for not flooding Dinosaur National Monument. A third coal-fired plant, Desert Rock Energy Project, is in the middle of Environmental Protection Agency pre-building review.

Also in the picture, BHP is BHP Billiton, the coal-mining giant that feeds the PNM maw.

The billboard is at the intersection of U.S. 64 and the road to the San Juan plant, just west of Farmington, N.M.

Ironically, or not so ironically for some of us who grew up in the Four Corners and near the Big Rez/Dinetah, the Desert Rock plant is being built under the auspices of Navajo tribe, through its Dine Power Authority. So much for claims of hozho and the Beauty Walk, eh?

Sithe Global is the builder of the alleged clean somewhat-less-dirty coal-fired plant. The reason it wants to build on the rez? No state environmental oversight.

At the same time, as that is about as close as you will get to a “Third World” country in the United States, many Navajos want the money from the plant.

As for Desert Rock’s customers, or potential ones, PNM denies it will buy electricity from Desert Rock, but a lot of people are skeptical. And, Big Bill is allegedly firmly opposed to Desert Rock (he has had a good record on oil-and-gas related environmental issues), but people are skeptical about that, too.

Read Desert Rock Blog, written by Navajos from Burnham, N.M., near ground zero, for much more.

How serious is this? After the new plant, in current design, is built, the Four Corners area, the heart of the pristine Colorado Plateau, likely will be an EPA non-attainment area.

Bill, if you are in fact opposing Desert Rock, great. But, crack down on San Uuan, and do what you can on Four Corners.