The northern skies of the Navajo Nation are clearer after the closure of the coal-powered Navajo Generating Station. But the region lost jobs and tax revenue. A proposed pumped storage hydropower plant that uses the generating station’s transmission lines could bring back revenue and thousands of jobs. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued a preliminary permit for the project last year, but it’s still early days. Today on the news, a report on the legacy of coal-fired power on the Navajo Nation and what comes next. Plus, students in our region are experiencing a different approach to learning about climate change.

// // And later the Weekly News Reel, where we check in with reporters on their latest stories of the Moab area. Sophia Fisher of The Times Independent discusses Emery Telcom’s internet rates rising during a fiber transition, Thompson Springs’ water needs and a new housing occupancy requirement up for consideration at Moab City. Alison Harford of the Moab Sun News talks NFTs – and why some local artists are making them. She also discusses a new hydroponic garden at the library and community opposition to pickleball courts at Old City Park.

// Show Notes //

Photo: The coal-powered Navajo Generating Station was shut down in 2019 and demolished a year later. But some are now aiming to re-use the station’s transmission lines for renewable energy. Creative Commons/Alan Stark

// Weekly News Reel Mentions

// The Times-Independent: Internet rates to rise $15 as SE Utah transitions to fiber

https://www.moabtimes.com/articles/internet-rates-to-rise-15-as-se-utah-transitions-to-fiber/

// The Times-Independent: The Future of Thompson Springs ¬– The community needs more water

https://www.moabtimes.com/articles/the-future-of-thompson-springs-the-community-needs-more-water/

// The Times-Independent: New housing occupancy requirement picks up speed

https://www.moabtimes.com/articles/new-housing-occupancy-requirement-picks-up-speed/

// Moab Sun News: Why some Moab artists are making NFTs

https://www.moabsunnews.com/get_out_and_go/article_d189c5d8-8b6e-11ec-9d4a-03674e8ece10.html

// Moab Sun News: Hydroponics in the library

https://www.moabsunnews.com/get_out_and_go/article_f911a514-8b76-11ec-affc-eb43e0a63005.html

// Moab Sun News: Pickleball, affordable housing and Walnut Lane – Notes from the Feb. 8 City Council meeting

https://www.moabsunnews.com/news/article_3ea06a44-8b71-11ec-8e1d-efd19a6464b6.html