Judge dismisses Native American challenge to $10B SunZia energy transmission project in Arizona

By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN
Associated Press

A U.S. district judge has dismissed claims by Native American tribes and environmentalists who sought to halt construction along part of a $10 billion energy transmission line. Judge Jennifer Zipps says in her ruling Thursday that plaintiffs were years late in bringing their challenge. It follows an earlier decision in which she dismissed requests for a preliminary injunction, saying the Bureau of Land Management fulfilled its obligations to identify historic sites and inventory cultural resources. Environmentalists say an appeal is likely. The disputed stretch of the SunZia transmission line is in southern Arizona’s San Pedro Valley. It will carry wind-generated electricity from New Mexico to as far away as California.