In late April, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) withdrew the air quality permit it issued last summer for the Desert Rock coal-fired power plant, which is supposed to be built on the Navajo Nation in the Four Corners region just southwest of Farmington, New Mexico.

And of course there were jeers and cheers. The EPA found that the permit was issued prematurely, before complete analysis could be conducted of hazardous air emissions like mercury or the recent finding that carbon dioxide poses a danger to human health and the environment.

The Bush Administration approved the permit but didn't adequately examine particulate matter or the impact of the facility on endangered species. This new ruling moves the plant back to the drawing board.

According to the New Mexico Environment Department, the new air emissions from Desert Rock would have singlehandedly undone the state's climate change initiatives. The state is looking at ways in working with the Navajo Nation--which actually objected to the proposed withdrawal of the permit--in finding ways in address greenhouse gas emissions.

Unfortunately, Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley sees the plant as a way to get beyond poverty, alcoholism, drug abuse, and other problems in his community. He believes the tribe is being treated unfairly in a permit process that wouldn't be applicable elsewhere.

The underlining problem I see here, as we often do, is that certain tribes are stuck between approving projects like these and fixing social problems on the reservation. It's a hard choice to make. Instead, we should be offering solutions to get them involved in the new green economy and not the old one.