Dixie officials change stance on power plant

ST. GEORGE — Elected officials in Washington County are speaking out against the proposed Toquop coal-fired power plant to be built about 14 miles northwest of Mesquite on Utah's border.

In a statement released Friday, Washington County commissioners withdrew their previous "conditional support" of Sithe Global's plan to construct a $1.2 billion power plant in Lincoln County, Nev. The facility would generate 750 megawatts of electricity for 500,000 customers in Nevada and Arizona, according to company officials.

The company's initial application to build a natural gas-fired power plant was approved, but Sithe Global decided, after gas prices escalated, to build a coal-fired power plant. A new environmental impact statement is being completed, and the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection is poised to issue a record of decision on an air quality permit for the power plant.

"The current site was initially chosen because of its proximity to a large natural gas pipeline. Since Sithe is no longer considering natural gas as the energy source, other locations are probably more suitable for the proposed facility and should be considered, especially in light of the desire to burn coal," the commission's statement reads. "As such, we are no longer in support of the Toquop proposal in its current location."

Toquop spokesman Frank Maisano said that while he never expected any support from elected officials for the project, he is not surprised their support was revoked.

"They have nothing to gain by supporting it," he said. "There has been some intense lobbying against it, and that's the nice term for it."

City councils in Springdale, Virgin, Ivins and Mesquite have all passed resolutions stating their opposition to the power plant.

St. George Mayor Dan McArthur also pointed to the power plant's location as the main reason why the city won't support the project. In previous comments, the mayor said the city would not take a position on the highly charged issue that has galvanized hundreds of residents to rally against the power plant.

"We don't think a plant of this size should be built next to a major metropolitan area," said McArthur. "We are opposing the location, not what the power plant is using. It would be hypocritical to say we're against coal-fired power plants when 43 percent of our power comes from coal."

Toquop officials attended both public meetings in St. George and one in Mesquite to hear comments and listen to concerns, said Maisano.