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US shift away from coal hits tribal community in New Mexico

CORRECTS IMAGES RPSB104-107 CITY IS KIRTLAND, INSTEAD OF KIRKLAND This Sept. 21, 2022 image shows a second-grade student working on a math lesson at Judy Nelson Elementary School in Kirtland, New Mexico. The closure of the nearby San Juan Generation Station and the adjacent mine is resulting in the loss of hundreds of jobs and tax revenue for the Central Consolidated School District, which serves primarily Native American students. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan) Teacher Arleen Franklin and her second-grade class prepare to line up for lunch at Judy Nelson Elementary School, Sept. 21, 2022, in Kirtland, N.M. Franklin and other teachers say the closure of the nearby San Juan Generating Station and an adjacent mine already has resulted in the school losing students as some families have been forced to move away in search for new employment. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan) Teacher Arleen Franklin explains a math lesson to her students at Judy Nelson Elementary School on Sept. 21, 2022, in Kirtland, N.M. The closure of the nearby San Juan Generating Station and an adjacent mine is resulting in the loss of hundreds of jobs and tax revenue for the Central Consolidated School District, which serves mostly Native American students. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan) This Sept. 21, 2022 image shows a second-grade student filling out a worksheet at Judy Nelson Elementary School in Kirtland, New Mexico. The closure of the nearby San Juan Generation Station and the adjacent mine is resulting in the loss of hundreds of jobs and tax revenue for a local school district that serves primarily Native American students. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan) This Sept. 20, 2022 image shows Albert Gonzales monitoring pollution control systems during the final week of operations at the San Juan Generating Station near Waterflow, New Mexico. Gonzales, 70, worked 40 years for Public Service Co. of New Mexico, the utility that ran the coal-fired power plant. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan) This Sept. 20, 2022 image shows a sign in Navajo on the fence surrounding the San Juan Generating Station near Waterflow, New Mexico. The closure of the coal-fired power plant and the adjacent mine is resulting in the loss of hundreds of jobs and tens of millions of dollars in tax revenue for a local school district that serves mostly Native American students. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan) A work truck leaves the San Juan Generating Station near Waterflow, New Mexico, on Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2022. The coal-fired power plant's single operating unit burned the last bit of coal before the end of September. Public Service Co. of New Mexico executives told state regulators during a recent meeting that they are still searching for options to replace some of the lost capacity for next summer's peak season. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan) Transmission lines leading from the San Juan Generating Station near Waterflow, N.M., are seen Sept. 21, 2022. The power plant burned its last bit of coal before the end of September. Public Service Co. of New Mexico executives told state regulators during a recent meeting that they are still searching for options to replace some of the lost capacity for the 2023 peak season. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan) This Sept. 20, 2022 image shows the San Juan Generating Station near Waterflow, New Mexico. Plant director Rodney Warner said some of the employees who were part of a voluntary severance earlier this summer told him they under appreciated seeing the coal-fired power plant in their rearview mirrors as they left for the last time. The closure of the power plant and the adjacent mine is resulting in the loss of hundreds of jobs and millions of dollars in tax revenue for surrounding communities. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan) This Sept. 20, 2022 image shows workers at the San Juan Generating Station near Waterflow, New Mexico, using a lock box system before checking out tools. The closure of the coal-fired power plant and the adjacent mine is resulting in the loss of hundreds of jobs and tax revenue that supports a local school district where nearly 93% of students are Native American. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan) This Sept. 20, 2022 image shows the San Juan Generating Station behind a chain link fence near Waterflow, New Mexico. The closure of the coal-fired power plant and the adjacent mine is resulting in the loss of hundreds of jobs and tens of millions of dollars in tax revenue for a local school district that serves mostly Native American students. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan) A weathered billboard that has been used to protest the coal-fired San Juan Generating Station near Waterflow, N.M., is seen Sept. 21, 2022. Environmentalists had fought for years to force the closure of the plant, saying millions of dollars in pollution control systems installed over the last two decades were not enough. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan)