Lung Association Applauds Corporate Commission Vote to Protect Public Health in Arizona

Today, the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) rejected Salt River Project’s (SRP) application for a Certificate of Environmental Compatibility which would have expanded 16 gas turbines at the Coolidge Generating Station in Pinal County, Arizona.

“Pinal County is one of just a handful of communities in the U.S. earning three failing grades for air quality according to our ‘State of the Air’ 2021 report,” said JoAnna Strother, senior advocacy director for the American Lung Association in Arizona. “The ACC’s decision to deny the expansion of fossil fuel combustion at the Coolidge Generating Plant is a step toward cleaning up air pollution in Pinal County – specifically for Randolph residents who have been hardest hit from air pollution burdens.”

The ACC rejected the application to add 820 MW of  natural gas combustion at the Coolidge plant. This plan would have contributed to Pinal’s air pollution burdens and perpetuate environmental injustice where 200,000 people of color and 53,000 low-income individuals reside. 

Last year, the American Lung Association released a poll which revealed 84% of Arizona voters view air pollution as a serious problem and over three-quarters of voters expressed concern that ongoing reliance on fossil fuels impacts Arizona in specific ways, including wildfires, droughts, extreme heat and degraded air quality.   

“Today, the ACC agreed that more combustion is not the answer. The future is clean, non-combustion renewable energy. The American Lung Association stands with Randolph and all communities which need clean and healthy air to thrive,” said Strother.