Article published Mar 2, 2008
ST. GEORGE - The Washington County Commission has changed its position on the proposed Toquop power
plant, according to a press release issued Friday from the commission.
In November 2007, the commission issued a statement of conditional support for the proposed Toquop power
generation facility in Nevada, the release said.
The Toquop Energy Project is proposed on 600-plus acres of land managed by the Bureau of Land Management
and located 14 miles northwest of the city of Mesquite in Lincoln County, Nev.
Utah's Department of Environ-mental Quality has expressed some reservations about the current proposal as have
many Southern Utah residents, according to the release.
The current site, the release said, was initially chosen because of its proximity to a large natural gas pipeline and
because Sithe Global is no longer considering natural gas as the energy source, other locations are more suitable
for the proposed facility and should be considered.
The commission is no longer in support of the Toquop proposal in its currently proposed location, the release said.
Washington County Commissioner Denny Drake said on Friday that originally, after the commission reviewed the
project proposal and environmental assessment, they didn't see a reason to oppose Toquop if the project was able
to get the air-quality permits.
Drake said after receiving information from the DEQ that it could adversely affect air quality in Washington County,
"then we felt like we couldn't support it."
"We felt like we don't want that to be an issue here in Washington County," he said. "We certainly don't want to
affect the air quality in Washington County."
Dean Cox, public affairs officer for Washington County, said on Friday the commission's original statement was
conditional approval and they promised if other information came out, they would re-evaluate it.
Cox said since that time, the commission has listened to a lot of public comments as well as comments from the
DEQ regarding Toquop's location. The commission has reviewed the information and has decided to go ahead and
reverse its original statement.
But he added the commission is "in favor of continued research and development into clean coal technology,"
saying the clean coal technology can "provide us with a viable alternative to nuclear energy."
Frank Maisano, spokesman for the Toquop Energy Project, said on Friday that Sithe Global was never considering
natural gas, saying that some other company was considering a natural gas plant there at that site.
"The reason why that site is important is because that site is where the transmission line is," Maisano said, saying a
major transmission line runs through the site.
He said, "The reality is St. George and Washington County are not going to be affected by Toquop because the
plant is such a clean plant," saying "the technology we use is the most advanced technology you can have for a
coal plant."
Maisano said there's not much that can be done to change people's minds.
In response to the commission's change in position, Maisano said, "I just think they're being swayed by a campaign
that is full of misinformation."
"The reality is this area (Washington County) is going to need power and Toquop can provide this power," he said.
The commission's press release also said, "We have initiated an energy dialogue with our communities and local
electrical utility vendors to better understand and appreciate energy-related issues in Washington County. We will
work together with members of this committee to study and explore energy solutions, future trends and emerging
technologies that will protect Washington County's air quality and assure a stable energy supply. We'll share with
you what we learn."
