County avoids “electric” battle

El Paso Electric’s plan to build a power plant in east El Paso County will have one less obstacle. County leaders voted unanimously to withdraw its status as an “intervenor” in EP Electric’s permitting process with the Texas Public Utility Commission.

EP Electric has plans to build a power-generating station in Montana Vista near Montana Avenue and Zaragoza Road. Over the past year, a group of Montana Vista residents calling themselves the El Paso East Citizens United have paired up with the Rio Grande Legal Aid to fight against the plant. Complaints have ranged from pollution to noise issues.

“We’re still going to rally together, we’re still going to press on,” said Ralph Carrasco, a member of El Paso East Citizens United. “And you know what? We’ll be before the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) and the PUC (Public Utility Commission) and bring the facts before these agencies.”

Commissioners said they understood the issues raised by the Montana Vista residents. However, they said ultimately they didn’t think they could help.

“We’re not going to change the outcome,” said county Judge Veronica Escobar, explaining why the decision was made. “We’re going to spend a lot of money and we’ll be adversaries with the electric company instead of having the ability to be a bridge between the company and our constituents.”

Carlos Leon, the representative for that area, went one step further, saying that he thought the residents had legitimate concerns centering on pollution, noise pollution and increased traffic. Leon, like Escobar, ultimately voted against moving forward. Leon said commissioners were advised that the county would need to hire outside counsel, and that the fight against the power plant would get costly. Leon said he’d heard estimates that the cost could go above $250,000.

“That’s just funding we don’t have,” said Leon. “It’s a tremendous cost that all county residents would have to bear and looking at the future, can we actually stop something like that?”

Carrasco said he’s not upset with the county’s decision, adding he’s hoping they’ll continue to listen to their concerns. He’s hoping the city of El Paso can help. In fact, the city could still move forward as an intervenor in this case. They made moves last month to do so, which led to the county’s decision.

Escobar told ABC-7 the city’s move led county leaders to reconsider getting involved themselves in October after passing on a similar opportunity earlier this year. According to Escobar, they reviewed the situation because a deadline was looming and there was some belief that the county could share legal costs with the city. Asked if the county learned more about the city’s plan, Escobar said a lot of information they learned would be kept behind closed doors.

“We got some information, not a lot,” said Escobar. “The information we did get, they (the city’s attorney) asked that we keep it in executive session.”

As for EP Electric, they’re viewing Monday’s latest development as a sign that the county has seen the company’s due diligence tied to safety and due diligence.

Eddie Gutierrez, a spokesman with EP Electric, told ABC-7, “As we continue with the permitting process, which is the next step, we believe we have an open dialogue with the County and any interested party to continue to move forward on the proposed Montana Power Station.”

The next big date tied to the power plant is Dec. 4. That’s the deadline for the EPA to take comments tied to the power plant and greenhouse gas emission concerns.