Intangible resources

Intangible resources

Don't discount clean air as an economic treasure

Jan. 20, 2000

In this latest flurry of activity surrounding Animas-La Plata, a report has been issued suggesting that the top potential use of the Southern Ute Tribe’s share of the water might be a coal-fired power plant.

That suggestion – which is far from a plan or even a proposal – is sure to cause consternation among residents of southwest Colorado who already resent the haze caused by other coal-fired power plants in the Four Corners. Visual pollution isn’t the only threat; particulates that precipitate out of that haze have been implicated in high levels of mercury and other toxins in children who grow up near the plants. Emissions laws aren’t as strict as they might be, and federal regulators are doubly handicapped: Tribal sovereignty severely restricts their regulatory powers, and no one wants to incur the political consequences of interfering with the economic development of a disadvantaged population.

When Native Americans were forced onto reservations, the land chosen for them wasn’t known for its richness. No one can criticize the tribes for making use of the resources – oil and gas, coal, even gold – that have been discovered since then. Non-Indian companies have very effectively exploited those resources on both private and public lands. In the Southwest, though, there simply isn’t that much private land, and the Clinton administration has worked to limit mining on public lands. Meanwhile, the demand for electrical power continues to grow, and the tribes are potential providers.

Power-plant haze doesn’t stop at political boundaries, however; it frequently obscures the sky across the entire region. The view at the Grand Canyon is not nearly as spectacular as it once was, and the Grand Canyon, one of the wonders of the natural world, isn’t worth much of anything if it’s not visible. Local citizens who in years past served as fire spotters at the Jersey Jim Lookout Tower in the La Platas recall that it was once possible to see the spires of Monument Valley from that vantage point. Don’t bother looking now; sometimes the Abajos are barely discernible.

Scenic grandeur is difficult to assign a specific dollar value, but tourism has a very definite price tag and our spectacular views are essential in attracting those visitors. It’s true that our air is still clearer than that in many other regions, so visitors aren’t as disturbed as we are at the fact that our "blue" skies have a brown tinge. That rationalization because less useful, however, when one realizes that the problem is growing worse; the cloud is growing browner.

The health problems will grow worse too. We can’t blame all the pollution on power plants. Vehicle traffic (of which we have more every year) and wood stoves are major culprits as well. That’s hardly an excuse for allowing any form of pollution to continue, or worse, to allow a new source to be introduced.

Analysts say a coal-fired power plant on the Southern Ute Reservation would have to clear major hurdles, so while it’s a possibility, it’s not extremely likely. The choice obviously hasn’t been made, which means now is the time to emphasize and develop one of our other valuable resources: clean air. In a pinch, we could all survive without electricity; air isn’t optional. Coal is limited, but our vistas are infinitely valuable and, if we guard them zealously, infinitely marketable