Staff Writer
Article Launched: 03/24/2008 12:00:00 AM MDT

Tired of playing the waiting game, Desert Rock Energy Company and the Navajo Nation's Diné Power Authority filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency last week, citing the EPA's lack of action in granting a crucial air permit to operate the proposed coal-fired power plant.
The Diné Power Authority and Houston-based Sithe Global Power applied for the air permit in early 2004 and argue that the EPA had one year to make a determination and issue a decision under federal law. Today it's more than four years later, and there still is no decision.

In turn, the $3 billion, 1,500-megawatt Desert Rock plant, which would be built near Burnham on the Navajo Nation, has yet to break ground.

During a lengthy public comment period, the EPA says it received more than 1,000 comments on the air permit. The agency must respond to each comment, a process the EPA claims pushes deadlines past a realistic timeframe.

"Typically, it doesn't take this long," EPA spokeswoman Margot Perez-Sullivan said. "It really depends on the complexity of the project, and in this case, it is a complex process."

We certainly can see the aggravation of Desert Rock supporters, who have waited for years to get an answer on this vital air permit. It's further frustrating when the EPA is not willing to give any indication about when it might act officially on the permit application. This year? Next year? The federal agency isn't saying.

If the EPA doesn't want to rule on the coal-fired plant because of environmental concerns, it should say so. The EPA has used the "massive comments" defense for months. Surely it knows, within reason, how long it will take to respond to those comments.

Yes, any federal permitting of a coal-fired power plant is no doubt an immense project that takes plenty of time. But why have deadlines if they are not followed?

This newspaper has supported the development of Desert Rock as long as it meets federal environmental standards. The project would add hundreds of permanent jobs and pump millions into the depressed Navajo economy. High-paying jobs are hard to find on the Navajo Nation. Desert Rock, if it earns the needed federal permits, would provide more good employment opportunities for Navajo workers.

The flip side is the EPA's proposed new smog standards that were announced this month. San Juan County, with its growing population, two coal-fired power plants, and oil and gas industry, already is considered on the verge of violating those standards. Most populated areas in the U.S. are facing the same situation, and some believe any new local development would be halted if the EPA regulations are implemented in the coming years.

It appears that major compromises must be made between the need for economic growth and a safer, cleaner environment. If that isn't possible, look for the standstill on Desert Rock to continue.