The news is not all increased rates and pollution, where local power is concerned. A recent settlement between the Sierra Club and the coal-fired Four Corners Power Plant, near Farmington, will help clear the local air.

Last week, the Rio Grande Chapter of the Sierra Club announced it had settled its lawsuit against the Environmental Protection Agency over emission controls at the Four Corners Power Plant. The chapter dropped its suit after the EPA agreed to finalize a pollution control plan for the plant in the spring of 2007.

In the suit, the chapter claimed the plant exceeded standards for nitrogen oxide and other emissions. It also claimed the EPA failed to require the Navajo Nation to complete a final implementation plan to reduce emissions at the plant.

The new plan will set emission limits for sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, total particulate matter, opacity and dust at the plant, which has been a notorious source of pollution for decades.

Public hearings on the proposed plan will be held in coming months to notify the public of the new restrictions.

– Will Sands