FARMINGTON, N.M. (AP) — Environmental groups are suing the federal government for its decision to extend operations at the Four Corners Power Plant and the Navajo Mine in Fruitland.
The suit against the U.S. Department of the Interior and other federal agencies was filed in U.S. District Court in Arizona Wednesday.
The lawsuit alleges the agencies failed to thoroughly assess the potential impacts the coal-fired plant and surface mine could have on the environment and public health before approving the 25-year extension last July.
A DIO spokeswoman says the agency doesn't comment on pending litigation.
Erny Zah, a spokesman for Navajo Transitional Energy Company, says the tribe is considering its own legal action to argue that the energy project is protected by tribal sovereignty and treaty rights.