Eight officials and their staff from Tonalea Chapter north of Tuba City recently visited the Navajo Generating Station in LeChee. They came to see for themselves how the power plant operates. What they found is not what they often hear about the plant.
Paul Begay reports on what the officials learned about how the power plant came to be built on the Navajo Nation, and what steps it takes to protect the environment.
| Tonalea tours NGS, Nav version, for May 14.mp3 |
Navajo Police Sgt. Darrell Curley, who was shot and killed after responding to a domestic dispute between two brothers in Kaibito, Ariz., June 26, 2011, was honored this week at several National Police Week memorial events in Washington, DC.
Memorial service events included a candle light vigil at the National Law Enforcement Memorial, an honoring ceremony at the Department of the Interior, and the National Peace Day Memorial Service on Capitol Hill where President Obama addressed surviving families and law enforcement officers throughout the country.
“Our country’s law enforcement officers use force when they have to. They are well armed and they are well trained. But they never forget that theirs is a mission of peace. Their job is to keep the peace, to allow all of us to enjoy peace in our neighborhoods and for our families. And today, with heavy hearts, we honor those who gave their lives in the service of that mission. Their families are in our thoughts and prayers, as we remember the quiet courage of the men and women we have lost,” said President Obama.
Sgt. Curley’s name will join the names of seven other Navajo law enforcement officers on the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial who have been killed in the line of duty since 1979.
Survivors in attendance at the memorial events included Sgt. Curley’s wife Pauline Curley, children Arielle Curley, Bronté Curley, and Derrick Curley. Sgt. Curley’s parents Ned and Gloria Curley were also in attendance. Navajo Public Safety officers who served with Sgt. Curley in the Tuba City district were also present.
Navajo Police Lieutenant Dempsey Harvey, representing the Chile district, was assigned to assist the family of Sgt. Curley at the memorial events. Lt. Harvey said Sgt. Curley made the ultimate sacrifice in his 26-years with the Navajo Public Safety. “We’re here to provide comfort and support to the family,” said Lt. Harvey.
Navajo Nation President Ben Shelly addressed the need for increased funding for law enforcement on the Navajo Nation at a recent BIA National budget meeting regarding fiscal 2014 and testified before the House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee regarding the Navajo Nation’s fiscal 2013 budget priorities, which included public safety.
“Pubic Safety is the number one priority for the Navajo Nation. The Navajo Nation has 280 commissioned officers covering an area of 27,000 square miles. This means at times there is only one law enforcement officer covering 5,000 square miles,” President Shelly said.
May 15 was designated as Peace Officers Memorial Day in 1962 by President John F. Kennedy and the week in which May 15 falls as National Police Week.
Settlement to Improve Air Quality and Establish a Trust to Fund Environmental Projects on the Uintah and Ouray Reservation in Northeastern Utah
The Department of Justice and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced a settlement with QEP Field Services Co. (QEPFS), formerly Questar Gas Management Co., to resolve alleged violations of the Clean Air Act at five natural gas compressor stations on the Uintah and Ouray Reservation in Northeastern Utah. Four members of the Ute Indian Tribe intervened as co-plaintiffs. Under the proposed settlement, QEPFS will pay a $3.65 million civil penalty and pay $350,000 into a Tribal Clean Air Trust Fund to be established by the tribal member intervenors. The settlement also requires QEPFS to reduce its emissions by removing certain equipment, installing additional pollution controls, and replacing the natural gas powered instrument control systems with compressed air control systems.
“This settlement will result in cleaner air for residents living on the Uintah and Ouray Reservation and allow the responsible development of energy resources in accordance with the Clean Air Act,” said Ignacia S. Moreno, Assistant Attorney General for the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the Department of Justice. “It also will establish the Tribal Clean Air Trust Fund to fund environmental projects for the benefit of tribal members.”
“Natural gas extraction projects help to fuel our economy, but also need to follow the nation’s laws,” said Cynthia Giles, Assistant Administrator of EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “Today’s settlement will bring cleaner air to the members of the Ute Indian Tribe by ensuring natural gas compressor stations are operated in compliance with the law and by creating a trust to fund environmental projects on the Uintah and Ouray Reservation.”
The Tribal Clean Air Trust Fund will fund beneficial environmental projects on the Uintah and Ouray Reservation, including projects to reduce emissions of air pollution on the reservation, mitigate the impacts of air pollution on tribal members, screen for air pollution related health impacts among tribal members, or educate tribal members about the impacts of air pollution on their health and the environment.
QEPFS’s compressor stations remove water and compress natural gas for transportation through gas pipelines. They are sources of air pollution, emitting hazardous air pollutants (HAPs), volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and nitrogen oxides (NOx), which can increase the risk of asthma attacks and are significant contributors to the formation of ozone. The actions required in the settlement will eliminate approximately 210 tons of NOx, 219 tons of carbon monoxide, 17 tons of HAPs and more than 166 tons of VOCs per year. It will also conserve 3.5 million cubic feet of gas each year, which could heat approximately 50 U.S. households. The reduction in methane emissions (a greenhouse gas that is a component of natural gas) is equivalent to planting more than 300 acres of trees.
QEPFS is a wholly-owned subsidiary of QEP Resources Inc., which is headquartered in Denver. QEPFS provides midstream field services such as natural gas gathering, compression, dehydration and processing to upstream natural gas companies.
The consent decree is subject to a 30-day public comment period and final court approval. The consent decree may be viewed on the Department of Justice website at www.justice.gov/enrd/Consent_Decrees.html.
For more information about the settlement, visit: www.epa.gov/compliance/resources/cases/civil/caa/qepfs.html.
To learn more about EPA’s civil enforcement of the Clean Air Act, visit: www.epa.gov/compliance/civil/caa/index.html.
On May 16, the House of Representatives, by a vote of 400 to 0, passed HR 205 the Helping Expedite and Advance Responsible Tribal Homeownership (HEARTH) Act. U.S. Rep. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., originally sponsored the bill. One of the key provisions allows tribes to exercise the ability to create business and agricultural leases up to 25 years in length without the approval of the Secretary of the Interior. The Navajo Nation has had the authority to create such leases since 2000.
The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs passed S 676, their version of the HEARTH Act. When the SCIA passed S 676, it was amended by Chairman Akaka to include a legislative fix to the Supreme Court’s controversial decision in Carcieri v. Salazar. The “Carcieri fix” reaffirms the authority of the Secretary of the Interior to take lands into trust for all federally recognized Indian tribes, and not only those recognized prior to the enactment of the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934.
Any legislative action taken to address the Supreme Court’s decision in Carcieri is highly controversial. Several attempts have been made by Congress to address the Carcieri case, but have failed to move it forward.
In a 222-205 vote, the House today narrowly passed a bill reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act and $660 million a year through fiscal year 2017 for domestic violence programs.
HR 4970 deviates significantly from S 1925, the bipartisan domestic violence bill approved in the Senate.
The House leadership declined to consider the Senate bill, choosing to debate HR 4970 under a ‘closed rule,’ meaning that no amendments were permitted.
This prevented efforts to make the bill look more like the Senate version. The White House yesterday threatened to veto the House bill, and urged Congress to pass a bill like S 1925.
The House bill omits provisions on tribal criminal jurisdiction over non-Indians who and further omits provisions on civil protection orders against non-Indians.
The bill also omits provisions protecting gay and lesbian victims of domestic violence and provisions providing stronger protections for immigrants.
Navajo President Ben Shelly said that he was “disappointed that the House leadership stripped provisions from VAWA recognizing the authority of tribal governments to protect all persons within their territory, and refused to even allow debate on those measures. The right to hold persons accountable for crimes committed within the Navajo Nation’s distinct political boundaries is essential for self-governance.”
The tribal provisions in the Senate bill were partially replaced with a provision allowing victims, or tribes on behalf of victims, to seek protection orders from U.S. District Courts.
President Shelly questioned the effectiveness of the proposal considering that federal prosecutors already decline significant numbers of domestic violence cases in Indian country, and it is unlikely that this would change when it came time to prosecute violations of federally issued protection orders.
“The provision would deprive victims of immediate assistance from the government and law enforcement resources closest to them, and would require victims to appeal to a court that may be hundreds of miles removed from them. The Navajo people deserve to be able to seek the assistance of the Navajo Nation, whose government existed before the United States,” President Shelly stated.
“This provision is potentially dangerous for tribal sovereignty. Federal courts could interpret the provision as meaning that Congress intended to erode the authority of tribal governments over their territory,” President Shelly said.
Tribal courts already have the authority under federal law to issue protection orders against non-Indians, and the authority to exclude any person from their lands.
There are still accusations that the tribal provisions unconstitutionally subject persons to the jurisdiction of a government from which they are excluded based on race, and that they run afoul of Supreme Court precedence.
Under federal law, ‘Indian’ is a political, not a racial, distinction; and tribes are distinct political entities. Further, the Supreme Court has held that Congress has the authority to expand the authority of tribal courts.
VAWA is now expected to go to Conference, where negotiators from both Houses of Congress will attempt to work out the differences between the two versions of the bill.
It is expected that the final bill will look more like S 1925.
Navajo Nation President Ben Shelly called for immediate action to help people purchase new homes after he toured two homes affected by a 40 year old policy that was lifted in 2009.
President Shelly toured two homes that fell within the former Bennett Freeze area, and area that was place under a Bureau of Indian Affairs executive order stopping development for more than 40 years.
The homes were about a mile north of the Cameron Chapter House.
“We got to get this person a home,” President Shelly said as he toured the first home of a resident that wasn’t home.
Raymond Maxx, director of the Navajo-Hopi Land Commission, said the man’s trailer home was totaled in a windstorm a few years ago. Since then, the man, who wasn’t identified, has lived in a minivan next to the remnants of his trailer.
The other home was a dilapidated double-wide trailer home that had two rooms lost to fire but was still inhabited.
Maxx said that money, about $1.2 million from an escrow account, is readily available to help such families and residents to find new housing, but because of bureaucratic protocol, the Navajo Nation hasn’t been able to buy homes for the families.
Homes are ready to be purchased, Maxx said.
“We need to do something this week about this. Let’s do it,” President Shelly said, adding that he is going to meet later this week with members of his cabinet to find a solution to allocate money to the families.
“This is an emergency,” President Shelly said.
Maxx said his office as identified 17 families living in similar conditions and money is available to help all the families get new housing.
The Bennett Freeze area was inflicted by a policy in 1966 after the Hopi Tribe filed a lawsuit to claim 1.8 million acres of Navajo land. Then BIA Director Robert Bennett issued an order suspending any development on the lands pending the decision of the court.
The freeze remained in effect for more than 40 years until President Barack Obama repealed the order in 2009.
Navajo Nation President Ben Shelly urged the local chapter and developers of the wind energy project to continue developing their wind energy project at the Cameron Community Wind Energy Forum Monday morning.
“My goal is to educate you about the process and technologies in wind energy awareness,” President Shelly said during a welcoming address before about 35 people.
President Shelly said he wanted to see more progress on a wind energy project that could create as much as $2 million a in revenue for Cameron Chapter if a wind farm was built near Gray Mountain.
The proposed wind farm would generate about 500 megawatts of electricity with estimates stating that the wind farm could generate as much as 1,500 megawatts of electricity.
The wind farm initially proposes to explore about 47,000 acres of land, but would use about 7,000 acres once completed. Extra land would be needed to build the wind farm around culturally important sites.
The forum had various presentations regarding wind project development and case studies of usage of wind farm energy.
“We understand that resolutions have been passed and some pre-development work has been done, but the wind project has yet to build,” President Shelly said.
At the end of the forum, President Shelly and other presenters answered and responded to questions and comments.
Most of the comments supported the wind farm.
“I want to see this happen,” President Shelly said at the conclusion of the forum.
The Navajo Nation mourns the lost of another heroic Code Talker.
Code Talker Samuel Tso, 89, passed away Wednesday evening with family members beside him at San Juan Regional Medical Center in Farmington, N.M.
“Samuel Tso lived a live that helped his people and he was a model Navajo citizen. He fought for his country and he returned to help our young people, Samuel Tso was a true Navajo warrior,” said Navajo President Ben Shelly.
Code Talker Tso was born on June 22, 1922, at Black Mountain near Many Farms Ariz.
Code Talker Tso was Zuni Tachiinii and born for Nakai Dine’e.
Enlisting in the USMC in March 1943, Code Talker Tso went through basic training and Navajo Code Talker school. Family members said Code Talker Tso wasn’t one of the original 29 Navajo Code Talkers, though he was commonly mistaken as being one of the original 29 Navajo Code Talkers. He served in the USMC 5th Marine Division.
He signed on with the Recon Company and was sent to the Pacific Theater. He served in Guadalcanal, Bougainville, Pelelui, Guam, and Okinawa.
Navajo Nation President Ben Shelly has ordered the Navajo Nation flag to be flown at half-staff beginning, May 10, through sundown May 14, to honor Code Talker Tso for his service to the Navajo Nation and his country in World War II.
“The Navajo Nation has lost another Code Talker and that saddens my heart. The Code Talkers have brought great pride to our Nation and the loss of Samuel Tso saddens not only myself, his loss saddens the Navajo Nation. On behalf of the First Lady, the Vice President, and the Navajo people, we offer our prayers, condolences and words of encouragement to the Tso family. Samuel Tso was a true Navajo warrior,” said President Shelly.
After his March 1946 discharge, Code Talker Tso continued his education earning a Bachelor of Arts in Education from Utah State University in Logan, Utah. He taught math at Intermountain Indian School in Brigham City, Utah, and transferred to the Bureau of Indian Affairs School in Lukachukai, Arizona, in 1975.
As a teacher and then as a teacher supervisor, Code Talker Tso worked there thirty years. Code Talker Tso remained active in education, serving as a school board member for Many Farms High School in Many Farms, Arizona.
Code Talker Tso traveled throughout most of the U.S. conducting presentations about the Navajo Code Talkers and about his life experiences before and after the war. He holds several relevant documents about the Navajo Code Talkers and contributed to the Back to the Battlefields documentary. Code Talker Tso was a member of the Marine Corp League and Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1677.
Code Talker Tso was also a leader in the Navajo Code Talkers Association and the Navajo Code Talkers Foundation.
Funeral services for Code Talker Tso are scheduled to start at 10 a.m. Wednesday, May 16 at St. Isabel Catholic Church in Lukachukai, Ariz.
Interment will follow the services at Lukachukai Veteran’s Cemetery with a reception to follow at the Lukachukai Boarding School Auditorium.
For more information contact Ronald Tso at (360) 393-2646.
President Ben Shelly signed four land lease renewals for Central Consolidated School District Friday.
“The schools provide education for you and these leases are very important because they help bring education to our children.” President Shelly said to a room of more than 50 students present to watch the signing of the land leases.
During the hour long signing ceremony at Tse’Bit’Ai Middle School, Naschitti Elementary School was the first lease to be signed with 10.90 acres of land to be developed, used or occupied for maintain or improving the school, playground, athletic field and employee housing. Newcomb land lease contains 45.78 acre for maintaining the K-12 public schools, teacher housing, administration and transportation support facility.
The Shiprock area of Central Consolidated School District has two land leases that focuses on transportation, teacher housing, and administration complex.
The 4.01acre land lease for the Shiprock transportation and teacher housing facility allows the lessee to develop, use and occupy the premises for operating and maintaining a public school transportation facilities, storage tanks for gasoline, diesel and motor oil along with maintaining housing.
Shiprock administration complex renewed the lease of 46.87 acres.
Each of the four release renewals signed by President Ben Shelly hold a term of 50 years.
“Our priority is our children. They are our future. We need to make sure the school districts are providing a good education. And we need to make sure the schools have their leases up to date.” President Shelly stated in regards to previous lease issues in which leases were lapsed.
Council Delegate Russell Begaye was also present during the signing of the land lease renewals.
President Shelly signed a Memorandum of Agreement with Central Consolidated School District on March 16 to “ensure that all students succeed and are provided the best educational opportunities.”
The MOA focuses on the Nation’s efforts through the Department of Diné Education in developing and implementing Navajo language, culture, history, character, and government standards as well as holding CCSD accountable of ineffective implementation.
President Ben Shelly provided the opening prayer and was apart of the receiving line to congratulate graduates at the University of New Mexico American Indian Graduation and Reception on Thursday.
The UNM American Indian Graduation recognized the accomplishments of all American Indian students receiving undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees from UNM.
“I am so proud of the graduates. They have met this huge milestone and they continue to make the Navajo Nation and Navajo People proud!” President Shelly stated.
The University of New Mexico invited President Shelly to provide the opening prayer before an audience of more than 200 people.
More than 60 students received stoles during the American Indian Graduation. Many student graduates were not present during the graduation due to conclusion of classes and final exams.
“We look forward to their future contributions to the Navajo People.” President Shelly stated.
President Shelly will continue to attend graduations through out the month of May.