L.A.’s Coal Plant Takes Heat

A group of 17 environmental organizations from Utah, Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico urged Los Angeles Mayor James K. Hahn on Wednesday to kill a proposal to expand a coal-fired power plant in Utah that is partly owned by the city.

Organizations including the Grand Canyon Trust, the Land and Water Fund of the Rockies and the Utah chapter of the Sierra Club said there are cleaner, cheaper alternatives to expansion of the Intermountain Power Project in Delta, Utah.

“If Los Angeles chooses to support expansion at IPP, it will do so not only at Utah’s expense, but also at the expense of California ratepayers, the global climate and the millions of visitors to the Colorado Plateau’s natural gems for generations to come,” the groups said in the letter.

Hahn’s office declined comment on the letter, referring calls to the city Department of Water and Power.

Agency officials said recently that they were considering an investment in the expansion, but DWP spokeswoman Darlene Battle said no decision has been made.

The DWP is the primary investor and operator of the 1,900-megawatt power plant in Utah.

An application to expand the plant by 950 megawatts filed with the Utah Division of Air Quality by the plant’s operator, Intermountain Power Service Corp., indicates the expansion would increase emissions of carbon dioxide by 20%.

The groups said California could cut the growth in demand for power by half through inexpensive efficiency measures, and also urged the DWP to pursue more wind and other renewable energy sources.