Native American tribes want US appeals court to weigh in on $10B SunZia energy transmission project

By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN
Associated Press

Native American tribes and environmentalists want a U.S. appeals court to weigh in on their request to halt construction along part of a $10 billion energy transmission line. The disputed stretch of the SunZia Transmission line is in southern Arizona’s San Pedro Valley. The line will carry wind-generated electricity from New Mexico to customers as far away as California. The tribes argue that the U.S. Interior Department and Bureau of Land Management failed to recognize the cultural significance of the area before approving the route. A U.S. district judge rejected earlier efforts to stall the work while the merits of the case play out in court.