A Canadian energy company has announced plans to build a natural gas-fired generating station in Coolidge to serve the growing number of Salt River Project customers in the East Valley.

Whether you are a Democrat or a Republican, you feel the effects of the prices at the pump, and our reliance on gasoline has only increased. So why is energy taking a backseat role in this election? In the Presidential debate, the topic of energy was barely discussed!

I drive upwards of 60 miles a day for my job. While many of us in the East Valley have gotten used to the commute in and out of Phoenix, I don’t think any of us have gotten used to the outrageous cost of gas these days. In the past two months, the president has stopped the progress of the Keystone XL Pipeline twice. He did so once with a signature, and once with pressure on the Senate. Does he know how much we are struggling to keep up paying $4 a gallon? I know that he cites environmental concerns, but isn’t there a middle ground to be met that can satisfy our environment and help ease us economically? I hope so, because many of us cannot continue on the current economic path that our energy policies have put us in.

Salt River Project announced its intention Wednesday to build three new natural gas-fired power plants in Pinal County to meet the growing demand for electricity in the northern part of the county.

Salt River Project officials said Friday they want to build new power plants at two sites in Pinal County instead of three proposed earlier this year.

PHOENIX - A cross-border natural gas project seen by some as an environmental threat and others as an energy necessity is moving forward.