- Report says that most jobs in Southwest Colorado don’t provide a livable wage for a family of four.
- The San Juan Generating Station will continue operating, following a vote by New Mexico's Public Regulation Commission.
Most jobs in Southwest Colorado don’t provide a livable wage for a family of four. That’s the conclusion of the latest report in a series produced for the Region 9 Economic Development District for 2015. The report, called “Livable Wages”, says most employment sectors don’t pay enough to meet a family’s basic needs, especially when there is only one breadwinner. In Montezuma County, only two job sectors – Mining & Utilities and Construction – were said to offer good incomes. The report also finds that La Plata County is the most expensive community for family living in Southwest Colorado, largely due to high housing costs, while Dolores County is the most affordable. The “livable hourly wage” for supporting a family ranges from a high of $28.45 in Durango to a low of $22.09 in Dove Creek.
The San Juan Generating Station in northern New Mexico will continue operating, following a vote Wednesday by the state’s Public Regulation Commission. The Farmington Daily-Times reports the PRC voted 4 to 1 in favor of a compromise plan that will close two of the four generating units at the controversial coal-fired power plant. The closures are designed to bring the plant’s emissions into compliance with federal regulations for haze.
