San Juan Generating Station Cleanup Plan Faces Scrutiny Ahead of August 24 Demolition
According to Kunm Officials from the Radioactive & Hazardous Materials interim committee received an update on Thursday regarding the state’s efforts to clean up the decommissioned San Juan Generating Station. The coal-fired power plant, decommissioned by the Public Service Company of New Mexico (PNM) at the end of 2022, is set to be demolished on August 24, according to the Farmington mayor’s office.
The New Mexico Environment Department is taking steps to assess and mitigate the environmental impact that decades of coal burning have had on the area’s water and air quality. However, committee members expressed skepticism after hearing the update on the cleanup plan.
“This seems problematic,” remarked Sen. Antoinette Sedillo Lopez (D-Albuquerque) after Justin Ball, the chief of the groundwater quality bureau at the Environment Department, presented the plan. Sedillo Lopez voiced concerns that the plan failed to address how the demolition might exacerbate contamination of the region’s water and air quality. “I would encourage the department to look at this more holistically,” she added.
Although Ball acknowledged that air quality was not his area of expertise, he assured the committee that the demolition is regulated. “I would be very surprised if PNM has not gone through the proper steps to get a permit for the demolition,” he said.
This uncertainty led several committee members to call on Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham to provide clarification regarding the oversight and monitoring responsibilities for the demolition and cleanup process.
The site’s cleanup will occur in three phases, with an evaluation and environmental risk assessment beginning this month. By the end of the year, the department plans to start collecting field samples and analyzing data, with a finalized cleanup plan expected by next summer.
Ultimately, financial responsibility for the cleanup rests with PNM, the plant’s former operator. Though invited, PNM declined to participate in the committee meeting.
