Dear Guardian,
This Friday, the Environmental Protection Agency is slated
to finalize a groundbreaking plan to clean up the San Juan Generating Station, a
behemoth coal-fired power plant located in northwestern New Mexico.
The plan comes in response to WildEarth Guardians’ hard work
to compel the EPA to finally follow through with the clean up.
Unfortunately, Public Service Company of New Mexico, or PNM,
which operates and is the majority owner of the San Juan Generating Station,
wants this plan shot down. They claim it would cost too much.
Sign our petition today and tell PNM’s CEO, Pat
Vincent-Collawn, that if it costs too much money to clean up its coal plant,
then start spending money to replace the San Juan Generating Station with cleaner,
more affordable energy.
After all, we agree with PNM. Why should we spend millions
(or a billion, as PNM claims) to make coal clean when we could spend that money
developing renewable energy that’s clean from the start.
For once, we agree. But we need your help to make sure PNM
puts its money where its mouth is.
You see, PNM just wants to be able to do what it’s already
doing - polluting the air with disregard for public health and the environment. It’s
enough to make you choke.
It’s up to us to set them straight. After all, for many of
us, PNM is our utility. And shouldn’t our utility spend the money we pay for
electricity as responsibly as possible?
In this case, your voice will not only spare your
electricity bill, but also save lives. Studies show that every year, the San
Juan Generating Station causes 33 premature deaths. That’s on top of 50 heart attacks,
600 asthma attacks, and 31 asthma-related emergency room visits, all at a cost
of more than $250 million annually.
Clean air should never cost too much. We applaud the EPA’s
efforts to clean up the San Juan Generating Station, but if PNM can’t afford
it, it’s time to ditch the coal. It’s the only responsible thing to do.
For the Wild,
Jeremy Nichols
Climate and Energy Program Director
WildEarth Guardians
jnichols@wildearthguardians.org
