Clean Air at Grand Canyon and the Navajo Power Plant

Your May 1 Column One story on proposals to reduce haze in the Grand Canyon by installing scrubbers on the Navajo Generating Station (“Clearing the Air for All to See”) was the most accurate and unbiased news account of this important issue that I’ve seen. Bob Secter and Rudy Abramson obviously did the research needed to appreciate the public policy implications involved.

While there is no argument that the city of Los Angeles must do an exemplary job of mitigating environmental impacts associated with our electric energy consumption, complex questions remain regarding the prioritizing of environmental objectives and the most prudent allocation of limited funds.

In addition to the Navajo visibility issue, the citizens of Los Angeles will also be paying up to $1 billion to comply with requirements to reduce local power emissions by an additional 75%.

Since motor vehicles produce 100 times more air pollutants than all power plants combined, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power is also providing funds to support the development of practical, non-polluting electric vehicles.

Proposals to reduce carbon dioxide production by up to 40% in California to mitigate global warming may be the costliest of all.

As suggested by your story, the balancing of competing environmental concerns is a difficult task that should be based on the best available scientific information on the range of environmental benefits to be achieved and on the social sacrifices required to achieve them.

NORMAN E. NICHOLS

General Manger and Chief Engineer

Department of Water and Power

Los Angeles