Tribe's tech plan a model program

Tribe's tech plan a model program

Mark ShafferThe Arizona RepublicSept. 19, 2006 12:00 AM TONALEA - While much of rural Arizona lags in an Internet void, the Navajo Nation is a leader among the nation's tribes in speedy connections.
Renda Fowler, community services director for the remote Tonalea chapter east of Tuba City, says it never ceases to amaze her. As cattle graze outside her window and the sun drops behind one of the area's red mesas, Fowler looks at the four modern computers moving streaming video in an adjoining room as teenagers pay rapt attention to a hip-hop video.
Story continued here

EPA whiffs power plant

EPA whiffs power plant
Proponents argue air is clean; opponents worry about mercury
Sunday, September 17th 2006By John R. Crane Journal Staff Writer
Sithe Global officials say the Desert Rock power plant would cap mercury output by at least 80 percent and would set a new standard for pollution controls for other energy facilities.
"The air, with or without Desert Rock, is getting signifi-cantly cleaner."
-Frank Maisano Sithe Global
In the last 30 years, pollution has continued to decrease, and will continue to improve whether the Desert Rock Energy Project happens or not, said Frank Maisano, the project’s spokesman.
“The air, with or without Desert Rock, is getting significantly cleaner,” Maisano said during an interview Thursday afternoon before a Desert Rock information session at Fort Lewis College in Durango.
About 60 people attended the meeting hosted by representatives from Region 9 of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Desert Rock officials are seeking a construction permit, known as a Clean Air Act Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) permit, for the 1,500-megawatt, coal-fired power plant.
The plant would cover 600 acres on Navajo Nation land about 25 miles south of Shiprock, N.M. It would provide electricity for consumers in Arizona, Nevada and California. Sithe Global hopes to begin plant construction by fall 2007 and have it operating in 2011.
Montezuma County residents who attended expressed concerns about the lack of mercury monitoring equipment in the area.
“We can’t really be at the table; (we are) at an unsafe disadvantage if we don’t have the ... data,” said Eric Janes, a retired hydrologist, during an interview Friday morning. He attended the session on behalf of the Montezuma-Cortez League of Women Voters. “Mercury is really a huge concern in this area.”
Story continued here http://www.cortezjournal.com/asp-bin/article_generation.asp?article_type=news&article_path=/news/06/news060917_3.htm

New Miss Indian Nations crowned in Bismarck

New Miss Indian Nations crowned in Bismarck
The fourteenth Miss Indian Nations is a descendant of Chief Standing Bear of the Ponca Tribe.
Ponka-We Vickers, a member of the Ponca Nations of Kansas and the Tohono O'odham Nation, was selected from five nominees Saturday at the United Tribes International Powwow.
"I'm shocked that I was chosen," Vickers said after being crowned. "But I'm very humbled by the honor. God has blessed me."
Vickers, of Wichita, Kan., is the daughter of Juan and Sandra Vickers. She's studying for a master's degree in public administration at Wichita State University. Her interests are in American Indian health care reform.
The nominees for the Miss Indian Nations title were judged over three days in traditional skills, public appearance and presentations, communication skill and speaking ability, personal conduct, and answers to general and impromptu questions.
Vickers also was selected for the tribal chairman's award. She was presented the Miss Indian Nations crown by outgoing Miss Indian Nations, Bobbie Rae Sage, of Mandaree. She is a member of the Three Affiliated Tribes of Fort Berthold.
First runner-up was Everetta Thinn, of Mesa, Ariz. She is Navajo. Second runner-up, and also winning the children's choice award, was Jennifer Mellette, of McLaughlin, S.D. She is a member of the Standing Rock Sioux. Third runner-up and winner of the congeniality award was Lena N. Nells, of Moodys, Okla. She is Cheyenne, Arapaho, Kickapoo and Navajo. Gabrielle Knife, of Eagle Butte, S.D., received the president's award. She is Cheyenne River Sioux.
The Miss Indian Nations program is open to American Indian women ages 17 to 26.
Vickers will serve for one year as a cultural ambassador. United Tribes Technical College coordinates her public appearances. Sponsorships and contributions are accepted to help underwrite the program.
For more information or to schedule an appearance, contact Miss Indian Nations at United Tribes Technical College, 3315 University Drive, Bismarck, N.D. 58504; phone 701-255-3285. Visit the Web site www.uttc.edu and click on Miss Indian Nations.

Billy earns the Miss Navajo Nation title

Billy earns the Miss Navajo Nation title
By Natasha Kaye JohnsonDiné Bureau

Jocelyn Billy of Chinle holds back tears of joy as she is crowned Miss Navajo Nation 2006-07 by Miss Navajo Nation 2005-06 Rachel James at the 60th Annual Navajo Nation Fair in Window Rock on Saturday night. Billy graduated from NAU and was crowned Miss Indian NAU while attending school there

WINDOW ROCK — Each year, one Din woman is given the honor to become one of the most distinguished and well-known ambassadors of the Navajo Nation. This year, that honor was given to Jocelyn Billy, 24, of Chinle, when she was crowned Miss Navajo Nation 2006-07 at the Dean Jackson Memorial Rodeo Arena on Saturday night. "It's finally a dream come true," said Billy, her voice still filled with awe and excitement on Sunday evening. Only a day into her reign, Billy's Saturday evening and Sunday were eventful, with people anxious to shake her hand and have their picture taken with her. "My breath was taken away," recalls Billy, after Cassandra Bitsuie, 23, of Steamboat was announced first runner-up. With only four women competing in this year's competition, Billy felt Bitsuie was her strongest contender and knew when Bitsuie was announced as runner-up, that she would be crowned the new Miss Navajo. Ironically, Billy and Bitsuie are good friends and former college roommates. Billy's clans are the Within His Cover Clan born for the Bitter Water Clan. Her maternal clan is Salt People Clan and her paternal clan is Near the Mountain People Clan. Since she was a young girl, Billy recalls seeing former Miss Navajos and aspired to one day wear the same crown. "I always wondered how they related to me," said Billy. Because Miss Navajos are required to be familiar with Navajo teachings and culture, Billy always viewed Miss Navajo as being quite similar to the deities of the Navajo people. "They were the modern day Changing Woman," said Billy, adding that she wanted the opportunity to carry out those same duties as other Miss Navajos had. Billy will be moving into her new office immediately and will soon begin to form her platform. Already, Billy is contemplating how she will begin to make a positive change and impact for the people, especially the youth. "I really believe our Navajo youth are very troubled because they're not motivated because they don't know the history of the people," said Billy. To to address this issue, Billy wants to begin promoting self-esteem through storytelling, songs, and traditional teachings. Billy feels that if Navajo youth knew more about these teachings, they would have more pride and a better understanding of who they are. As a result, she feels that youth would then be able to progress and begin to achieve great things. "We need to get out there and revitalize our teachings," said Billy. For her traditional talent, Billy wrote an original song in Navajo, and for her traditional skill, talked about corn grinding and sang a corn grinding song. For the modern talent category, Billy talked about the importance of communication and played the "Star Spangled Banner" on her flute. Billy is no stranger to pageantry. She was Miss Ceremonial 2003-04, Miss Indian NAU 2002-03, Miss Chinle High School 1998-99, Miss Central Teen 1995-96, and second attendant for Miss Indian Arizona 2005-06. And like most pageant queens, Billy has a formal education. In 2005, Billy received a dual degree from Northern Arizona University, with a BA in political science and a BS in applied Indian studies. Eventually, she plans to attend ASU School of Indian Law to become a lawyer.

http://tribeazure.com/creation.htm

Tax proposal would fund judicial, public safety facilities

Tax proposal would fund judicial, public safety facilities
Increase could generate $4M for Navajo NationBy Erny Zah The Daily Times

FARMINGTON — A proposed 1 percent gross sales tax could add up to an estimated $4 million for Navajo Nation public safety and judicial facilities, according to the Navajo Tax Commission.Last week, the Navajo Tax Commission announced its support for proposed legislation that would increase the gross sales receipts tax from 3 to 4 percent. The extra tax revenue would be used to help fund judicial and public safety facilities, a press release from the Navajo Nation's Office of the Speaker states.
"We agree with it. We need some relief somewhere to get some funds for our facilities," said Sampson Cowboy, director of the division of public safety.
According to legislation No. 0448-06, the bill amends title 24 tax codes and would create a Judicial and Public Safety Facilities Fund, raise the tax rate and create new language regarding the distribution of the received tax money.
The distribution of money generated from retail sales tax would be split between the chapters and the facilities, said Mary Etsitty, director of the office of tax commissioner.
Instead of receiving 100 percent of the retail sales tax, the chapters would receive 75 percent of the tax revenue. Twenty-five percent would go toward judicial and public safety facilities, the legislation states.
Etsitty said because of the tax increase, she estimated the chapters would receive the same amount of funding, which in fiscal year 2005 amounted to about $4.8 million.
"It's not going to have a negative impact on the chapters," she said.
Though money would be generated for facility use, the legislation lacks planning on --------------------------------------------------------------------------------Advertisement
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- just exactly how that money would be spent, said Council Delegate LoRenzo Bates of Upper Fruitland.
"From the first day we collect taxes, we've got to have a plan in place," he said.
The legislation states how the money would be generated and where the money would go, but doesn't give any directives on how the money should be spent, other than on public safety and judicial facilities.
"That's what I haven't seen. I don't see how the money is going to be dispersed. I need to be able to tell my chapter your taxes are going up and you're going to get this service from the government," he said.
Bates said that a lack of planning about how the Nation would spend money has happened before.
When the Land Acquisition Fund was created, the intention of the fund was for the Navajo Nation to buy and acquire land, but since the law didn't have a plan outlining how the money would be spent, the fund goes unspent.
"We haven't bought anything. We haven't bought land," he said. "The Nation has a lot of money and doesn't use it for what it was intended for," he said.
The next steps for the tax increase proposal are reviews by a series of Navajo Nation committees, followed by possible action by the Navajo Nation Council this fall.
Erny Zah: ezah@daily-times.com

Powwow will honor veterans

Powwow will honor veterans
Event to feature speech by Navajo code talker
Sunday, September 10, 2006
BY ELIOT BROWNOF THE JOURNAL STAR
edwards - An American Indian powwow honoring veterans will begin Friday, featuring a speech from a Navajo code talker who fought in World War II. The Gathering of Veterans Friendship Pow Wow, now in its third year, is hosted by the Seven Circles Heritage Center in Edwards. The speaker is Thomas Begay, one of few remaining Navajo tribe members who used the Navajo language as code in the Pacific during World War II. Begay, who will speak throughout the powwow, served as a radio operator in the 5th Marine Division, where he was one of about 400 Navajos who transmitted code for the Army.
The powwow, which lasts through Sept. 17, will have a variety of events and vendors that celebrate American Indian culture and honor veterans.
In addition to the featured Grand Entry processionals with flag bearers and dancers and singers in traditional dress, activities include a reading of prisoner of war and missing in action names from Illinois and surrounding states at 6 p.m. Friday, a variety of songs and dances, the world's largest POW/MIA flag, and stands selling American Indian art, food and craft products. On Sept. 17, the Rev. Carol Lakota Eastin and the Native American Fellowship will conduct a 10:30 a.m. worship service.
The Seven Circles Heritage Center, an American Indian cultural center, has been putting on powwows for more than 10 years, though it incorporated the veteran theme to the event two years ago.
Butch McCamy, organizer of the powwow, said that by adding a focus on veterans, the event is following a national trend in powwows.
"We needed to do something in the area to help with the healing in the veterans," McCamy said. "Lately there's been a big emphasis on honoring veterans."
Eliot Brown can be reached at 686-3114 or ebrown@pjstar.com.

New pieces by Ron Henry

There are many new pieces by Ron. Check them out at http://tribeazure.com/specialItemlist.asp?Type=New+Pieces&MainGroup=Jewelry&CustID=. He can create these pieces in any stone combination you prefer.

Navajo Nation

Navajo Nation
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Navajo
Total population
298,215 as of 2000 census
Regions with significant populations
United States (New Mexico, Utah, Arizona)
Language
English, Navajo
Religion
{{{rels}}}
The Navajo Nation (Navajo: Naabeehó Dine'é) is a sovereign Native American tribe traditionally known as Diné. The Navajo Indian Reservation covers about 27,000 square miles (70,000 square kilometres) of land, occupying all of northeastern Arizona, and extending into Utah and New Mexico, and is the largest land area assigned primarily to a Native American jurisdiction within the United States.
The 2000 census reported 298,215 Navajos living throughout the United States, of which 173,987 were living within the Navajo Nation boundaries. 131,166 lived in Arizona. 17,512 of these lived in Maricopa County, which includes the city of Phoenix. Because the Navajo Nation encompasses land in three states, its Division of Economic Development extracts census data for the Navajo Nation as a whole, and sends a representative to the Census Board. Another group lives on the Colorado River Indian Tribes reservation along the Colorado River in California and Arizona.
Each tribe establishes its own requirements for being an enrolled tribal member, which is usually based on "blood quantum." The Navajo Nation requires a blood quantum of one-fourth for a person to be an enrolled tribal member and to receive a Certificate of Indian Blood (CIB). In comparison, some tribes require a one-thirtysecond blood quantum for issuing a CIB. Recently, the Navajo Tribal Council voted down a proposal to reduce the blood quantum to one-eighth, which would have effectively doubled the number of individuals qualified to be enrolled Navajo tribal members.
continue this article at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Navajo_Nation

McCain races to solve tribal funds dispute

McCain races to solve tribal funds dispute

Billy House Republic Washington Bureau Jul. 28, 2006 12:00 AM
WASHINGTON - The next few days may be Sen. John McCain's last best opportunity to resolve 10-year-old litigation against the federal government over billions of dollars in mineral royalties and land leases long denied to Native American landowners.
With time running out on the congressional session as well as on McCain's chairmanship of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, the Arizona Republican has set a hearing for Wednesday to finalize details of his bill to settle the class-action dispute.
The effort to bring together the opposing sides is a test of McCain's political pull and power of persuasion as he eyes a possible run for the presidency in 2008. advertisement
He needs to forge a settlement that satisfies Native Americans while it overcomes objections from congressional opponents who worry about the costs to taxpayers, including funds for retracing and verifying individual accounts and money owed. That is a goal that no one to date has managed to accomplish.
The case could linger for years longer in the court system if McCain's bill cannot solve the matter.
"I'm taking him for his word that he would work as hard as he could to get justice for Indian people," Eloise Cobell, a Blackfoot rancher and banker from Montana who filed the class-action lawsuit in 1996, said Thursday.
The lawsuit, Cobell vs. Kempthorne, seeks to force the government to account for billions of dollars held in trust for as many as 500,000 American Indians and their heirs. It alleges that royalty payments the federal government was supposed to distribute to thousands of individual Native Americans have been mismanaged for more than a century.

$100 billion in dispute

Cobell's lawyers have asserted that the Department of the Interior owes the landowners at least $100 billion, much of it tied to royalties for farming, grazing, mining, logging and other activities on tribal lands.
In Arizona, thousands of Native Americans and their heirs could be owed money.
Last summer, McCain and Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., top Democrat on the Indian Affairs Committee, filed a bill to resolve the long-standing lawsuit. It called for creation of a settlement fund and an overhaul of how the Interior Department manages land and money for tribes and individual landowners.
But before unveiling that legislation, McCain warned at a March 9, 2005, hearing that although he promised as Indian Affairs Committee chairman to make reforming the trust fund a priority, he would give the effort "only one good shot."
"If it looks like we're not getting anywhere, if the tribes, the government or other interested parties cannot come to terms on a settlement of the lawsuit and what trust reform should be, then I will leave that task to a future Congress and the courts," McCain said.
If Republicans retain control of the Senate, McCain is widely expected to become chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee next year when Sen. John Warner, R-Va., steps down after his six-year term ends. If that happens, McCain would not continue as Indian Affairs chairman.
'One good shot'
Cobell said she believes the upcoming week is McCain's self-described "one good shot."
McCain's communications director, Eileen McMenamin, had no comment Thursday on the senator's efforts.
But one of Cobell's lawyers, Keith Harper, said the dollar amount McCain proposes for the settlement fund and other specifics of the bill will be key to whether Congress will have a real chance to settle the issue this year.
Given Congress' scheduled recess, Aug. 7-Sept. 4, and midterm elections, any further delays likely would mean an end to the bill, Harper said.
Last year, plaintiffs in the long-running lawsuit offered to settle the case for $25 billion despite their claims that the amounts owed by the Interior Department to Indian landowners exceeded $100 billion.
But Cobell and her lawyers say they have learned McCain's bill would put the settlement amount to be paid by the government even lower, at $8 billion .
"We haven't commented on that," McMenamin said.
Dorgan's office did not return a call Thursday seeking comment.
"It's much less than what we wanted," Cobell said. "I don't think it's fair."
But as lead plaintiff in the case, Cobell said she must consider that rejecting that amount would result in the bill's likely death and continuing court battles.
She said many of the would-be beneficiaries are elderly and are going to die before a settlement.
Cobell said the Indian plaintiffs would prefer to settle and move on. But she said she also doesn't want to just discard hard-fought District Court victories that have validated claims that the government's handling of the accounts was a breach of trust.
"We've got to hope that McCain will take up our cause in a rightful way," Cobell said, adding that what also is at stake is how the trust accounts will be managed in the future.
Catherine Aragon, a lawyer for the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, was among those in Washington, D.C., on Monday expecting to review new details of McCain's bill. She and others were surprised to learn that the bill still was being worked on.
"It's important to us, not just the settlement of claims but the overall trust, responsibility issue," Aragon said.
She would not comment on how many Salt River tribal members might be owed money under the lawsuit or whether the anticipated $8 billion settlement figure would be acceptable to the tribe's leaders.
But that amount is not pleasing everyone.
"The amount offered, as we understand, is lower than expected. Is that equitable?" asked Sharon Clahchischilliage, executive director of the Navajo Nation's Washington office.
Interior Department spokesman Shane Wolfe said that officials there would not discuss specifics but that they have been working on a settlement with McCain, Dorgan, and others.
"And we continue our work toward that goal," Wolfe said.
Reach the reporter at 1-(202)-906-8136.

Navajo Nation fires 15 after Head Start background checks

Arizona / West
Navajo Nation fires 15 after Head Start background checks
The Associated Press
Tucson, Arizona Published: 07.12.2006

WINDOW ROCK — The Navajo Nation has fired 15 employees from its troubled Head Start program after doing background checks.
Federal funding for the tribe's Head Start program was suspended May 2 by the Administration for Children and Families, which said the tribe failed to perform background checks and that an investigation turned up dozens of employees with criminal records.
Darren Tungovia, human resources manager for the Navajo Head Start Program, said 594 employees have been cleared through background checks and 104 still need the checks.
Twenty-four workers have resigned and 19 are on 90-day probation, Tungovia said in a news release.
The figures come as Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley Jr. met with Head Start officials, including Director Channell Wilkins, who traveled from Washington, D.C., to the reservation.
Shirley said the Navajo Nation presented its corrective-action plan to the federal officials.
"We're all on the same side, trying to do right by the children, the parents," Shirley said. "We've been working very hard under stressful conditions."
Under the plan to correct the deficiencies in the program, the Navajo Nation has directed the program's human resources manager to ensure that fingerprinting and background checks are done in a timely manner.
The Navajo Justice Department has provided five training sessions to staff members on how to perform the background checks.
The Navajo Nation said it has been difficult to correct the problems when no Head Start employees have been paid due to the federal suspension of funds. Volunteers have filled the gap, the news release said.
The federal government partially lifted the funding suspension in mid-May, clearing the way for the program to begin its summer session.
Shirley has created a task force to ensure the nation is in compliance with the federal regulations.
The program serves more than 4,000 children.
http://www.azstarnet.com/news/137529
http://tribeazure.com/Itemlist.asp?SubGroup=Pendants1&MainGroup=Jewelry&CustID=321863012

Mohave Facility Won't Be ReopenedEdison says it can't find a profitable way to operate the heavily polluting power plant

Mohave Facility Won't Be ReopenedEdison says it can't find a profitable way to operate the heavily polluting power plant.By Marc Lifsher, Times Staff WriterJune 20, 2006
After months of negotiations with two Indian tribes and the world's largest coal company, Southern California Edison Co. said Monday that it couldn't find a profitable way to reopen its heavily polluting Mohave power plant on the California-Nevada border.
Edison mothballed the giant coal-fueled generating station Jan. 1, a deadline imposed by a settlement in an environmental lawsuit that required the installation of about $1 billion of pollution-control equipment.
ADVERTISEMENTSince then, the Rosemead-based utility and its minority partners, including the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, have been working to cut deals that would reopen the plant — even as recently as Friday. Edison needed to secure coal to operate the facility and water to push pulverized coal through a 270-mile pipeline from a mine in northeastern Arizona to the plant's Laughlin, Nev., location.
"It's simply not feasible to move forward at this time," Edison Senior Vice President Richard Rosenblum said.
Edison, a subsidiary of Edison International, told more than 200 workers at the power plant Monday that they would be laid off.
Edison abandoned plans to revive the Mohave plant for a combination of reasons, including the possibility that California would begin capping emissions of greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming, Rosenblum said. Another factor was the 2026 expiration of contracts with Nevada for Colorado River water to cool Mohave's turbines, he said.
Edison's 56% share of Mohave's 1,580 megawatts provided low-cost electricity to about 7% of the utility's 13 million customers. However, the company said Mohave's loss shouldn't threaten Southland electricity supplies because Edison recently began operating a new natural-gas-fired power plant in Redlands.
Edison hasn't decided whether to decommission or sell the Mohave plant, Rosenblum said.
Edison's announcement that it wouldn't push to reopen Mohave "caught us by surprise … and is not good news for the Navajo Nation," tribal spokesman George Hardeen said. The California utility had given no indication of its change of stance during negotiations with the tribes Friday, Hardeen said.
The co-owners of the coal, the 250,000-member Navajo Nation and the 7,000-member Hopi tribe, are expected to lose hundreds of high-paying mining jobs and about $40 million in annual royalty payments and other revenue from the mine's operator, Peabody Energy Corp.
But environmentalists said they weren't surprised that Edison gave up efforts to retrofit a plant that was one of the West's dirtiest. Mohave spewed an average of 2,000 tons of soot a year in 2002 and 2003, obscuring views of the Grand Canyon, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Mohave also annually released an average of 19,000 tons of nitrogen oxides and 40,000 tons of sulfur dioxides during the same period, the agency said.
"We were doubtful that Edison would be able to keep the plant open," said Roger Clark of the Grand Canyon Trust in Flagstaff, Ariz., which sued Mohave under the federal Clean Air Act in 1999, along with the Sierra Club and the National Parks Conservation Assn.
Clark said he hoped that Edison and other utilities would invest in wind and solar power projects to provide California ratepayers with clean energy and compensate the Navajo and Hopi tribes for lost jobs and tax revenue.
Shuttering Mohave is a step toward meeting Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 25% from forecasted levels by 2020, said Bernadette Del Chiaro, a statehouse lobbyist for Environment California, a group backing a bill that would set caps on carbon dioxide pollution.
"When you find yourself in a hole, the first thing you should do is stop digging," she said.
According to a survey released by Environment California on Monday, carbon dioxide emissions in the United States nearly doubled between 1960 and 2001, with volume increasing dramatically in the 1990s.
California's efforts to regulate greenhouse gas emissions should make Mohave unattractive to potential buyers, said Rob Smith of the Sierra Club.
"The new owners would have the same problems as the current owners," Smith said. "Edison has had a hard time saying that Mohave is a bad idea, but everyone else says that we have to move on."
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-edison20jun20,1,2684650.story?coll=la-headlines-business&ctrack=1&cset=true
http://tribeazure.com/showitem.asp?ID=290&MainGroup=Jewelry&SubGroup=Rings%2DWomen

Mohave Facility Won't Be ReopenedEdison says it can't find a profitable way to operate the heavily polluting power plant

Mohave Facility Won't Be ReopenedEdison says it can't find a profitable way to operate the heavily polluting power plant.By Marc Lifsher, Times Staff WriterJune 20, 2006

After months of negotiations with two Indian tribes and the world's largest coal company, Southern California Edison Co. said Monday that it couldn't find a profitable way to reopen its heavily polluting Mohave power plant on the California-Nevada border.
Edison mothballed the giant coal-fueled generating station Jan. 1, a deadline imposed by a settlement in an environmental lawsuit that required the installation of about $1 billion of pollution-control equipment.
ADVERTISEMENTSince then, the Rosemead-based utility and its minority partners, including the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, have been working to cut deals that would reopen the plant — even as recently as Friday. Edison needed to secure coal to operate the facility and water to push pulverized coal through a 270-mile pipeline from a mine in northeastern Arizona to the plant's Laughlin, Nev., location.
"It's simply not feasible to move forward at this time," Edison Senior Vice President Richard Rosenblum said.
Edison, a subsidiary of Edison International, told more than 200 workers at the power plant Monday that they would be laid off.
Edison abandoned plans to revive the Mohave plant for a combination of reasons, including the possibility that California would begin capping emissions of greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming, Rosenblum said. Another factor was the 2026 expiration of contracts with Nevada for Colorado River water to cool Mohave's turbines, he said.
Edison's 56% share of Mohave's 1,580 megawatts provided low-cost electricity to about 7% of the utility's 13 million customers. However, the company said Mohave's loss shouldn't threaten Southland electricity supplies because Edison recently began operating a new natural-gas-fired power plant in Redlands.
Edison hasn't decided whether to decommission or sell the Mohave plant, Rosenblum said.
Edison's announcement that it wouldn't push to reopen Mohave "caught us by surprise … and is not good news for the Navajo Nation," tribal spokesman George Hardeen said. The California utility had given no indication of its change of stance during negotiations with the tribes Friday, Hardeen said.
The co-owners of the coal, the 250,000-member Navajo Nation and the 7,000-member Hopi tribe, are expected to lose hundreds of high-paying mining jobs and about $40 million in annual royalty payments and other revenue from the mine's operator, Peabody Energy Corp.
But environmentalists said they weren't surprised that Edison gave up efforts to retrofit a plant that was one of the West's dirtiest. Mohave spewed an average of 2,000 tons of soot a year in 2002 and 2003, obscuring views of the Grand Canyon, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Mohave also annually released an average of 19,000 tons of nitrogen oxides and 40,000 tons of sulfur dioxides during the same period, the agency said.
"We were doubtful that Edison would be able to keep the plant open," said Roger Clark of the Grand Canyon Trust in Flagstaff, Ariz., which sued Mohave under the federal Clean Air Act in 1999, along with the Sierra Club and the National Parks Conservation Assn.
Clark said he hoped that Edison and other utilities would invest in wind and solar power projects to provide California ratepayers with clean energy and compensate the Navajo and Hopi tribes for lost jobs and tax revenue.
Shuttering Mohave is a step toward meeting Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 25% from forecasted levels by 2020, said Bernadette Del Chiaro, a statehouse lobbyist for Environment California, a group backing a bill that would set caps on carbon dioxide pollution.
"When you find yourself in a hole, the first thing you should do is stop digging," she said.
According to a survey released by Environment California on Monday, carbon dioxide emissions in the United States nearly doubled between 1960 and 2001, with volume increasing dramatically in the 1990s.
California's efforts to regulate greenhouse gas emissions should make Mohave unattractive to potential buyers, said Rob Smith of the Sierra Club.
"The new owners would have the same problems as the current owners," Smith said. "Edison has had a hard time saying that Mohave is a bad idea, but everyone else says that we have to move on."
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-edison20jun20,1,2684650.story?coll=la-headlines-business&ctrack=1&cset=true
http://tribeazure.com/showitem.asp?ID=290&MainGroup=Jewelry&SubGroup=Rings%2DWomen

Police plan raises ire on panel

Police plan raises ire on panel
By John Christian HopkinsDine Bureau
WINDOW ROCK — The issue is a political hot potato, one that critics claim is half-baked and causes others to boil. No potato has fried the nerves of a politician this much since the infamous Dan Quayle spud. It's the controversial restructuring plan for the Navajo Nation's police force, a move proposed by Navajo Nation Chief of Police Jim Benally and Public Safety Division Director Samson Cowboy. The legislation if passed by the full Navajo Nation Council would eliminate the position of captain within the Nation's police force. The current officers with a captain's rank will have a simple decision to make: Accept the lesser rank of lieutenant or find another job. It's that lack of redress that concerns Delegate Hope MacDonald-Lonetree, chairwoman of the Public Safety Committee, that passed the measure by a 3-2 vote. The deciding vote was cast by the bill's sponsor, Delegate Lorenzo Curley. Such blanket demotions seldom have much appeal for those who must hash out a deal under the sharp scrutiny of the public. This issue, in particular, seems to have mashed personalities and politics all during an election year. Delegate Harry H. Clark honestly hoped the issue would remain off the table until after the election. Too many people will use it to score political points, he feared. The controversial restructuring plan had been on tabled status for the past three or four PSC meetings. The PSC had sought reports on the plan from the Office of Budget and Management and the Department of Justice. An even as the PSC recalled the issue this week, there was an uneasy pause before a motion was made to recall the legislation. There was that same awkward, uneasiness later in the week when the legislation found its way onto the Government Services Committee's agenda. Curley did not appear at Government Services a threat he had hinted at to induce some action by the PSC. "He's here, I saw him outside," said Ervin Keeswood, the chairman of Government Services. "I guess we move on then. I don't see any great objections." There were several sighs of relief inside the North Conference Room. With Public Safety taking action on the legislation, it may not have needed any action by Government Services. The DOJ report to the PSC caused a sharp exchange between MacDonald-Lonetree and Curley, who had suggested that if PSC didn't act he'd take the bill himself to Government Services. MacDonald-Lonetree grilled Curley on what he intended to do if the PSC voted against or deleted his legislation. Curley noted that DOJ attorney Frank Seanez issued an opinion that he could bring the legislation to the Government Services Committee regardless of what the PSC decided. "So you'd be in favor of setting a precedence and overriding the Public Safety Committee's opinion?" snapped MacDonald-Lonetree. "Seanez says in this area Government Services has authority," Curley said. "The law is written that way." Delegate Harry Brown, of the PSC, readily agreed that maybe opinions should be given by the other standing committees. "Why did this come up? There must be something wrong, somewhere," Brown said. As the Government Services Committee meeting neared its close, Delegate Leonard Teller ventured a routine question, "Is it a dead issue now?" Keeswood admitted that he didn't know. It sounds as if a lot of internal conflicts have become embroiled in politics, Teller said. "I don't like that," Teller offered. "I wish it hadn't been on the table. I've gotten phone calls from some other delegates, they don't want this to come up." "It doesn't matter how we feel personally," Keeswood said. "We must consider it, if it comes to the table." Teller gave a sigh. "It's become a political issue now." But it could become a legal issue later. "The way I see it the Navajo Nation will be setting itself up for something beyond disagreeable," said MacDonald-Lonetree. She foresaw a lawsuit, but Curley disagreed, saying the PSC was only doing its constituted duty by voting on this issue. Chiding the committee, Curley asked MacDonald-Lonetree if the DOJ was now making decisions for the Public Safety Committee? "This legislation has caused too much controversy," said Clark. "I still sense at this point in time it's still not a good legislative act. It's embarrassing to our law enforcement. We can't keep having people sweeping things under the table." Lt. Clarence Bilagody of Shiprock Police District resigned his position in April so he could speak out on the plans to eliminate captain positions, which was a part of this restructuring package. At the time Cowboy denied there was any such plan. Bilagody also went onto charge that Benally had created a hostile work environment and he suggested that the restructuring may be more about personalities than policies. Bilagody also claimed that Cowboy flipped him the middle finger. At the time, Shiprock Chapter President Duane "Chili" Yazzie expressed concern over the "forced resignation" of Bilagody. "It is not a good reflection on the department, the division or the Navajo Nation if the forced resignation resulted more from personality politics and less from substantiated cause," Yazzie said.
John Christian Hopkins can be reached at 1-505-371-5443, or by email at Hopkins1960@hotmail.com.
http://www.gallupindependent.com/2006/jun/061506irepnl.html
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Navajos declare state of emergency over wildfiresResidents evacuated

Navajos declare state of emergency over wildfiresResidents evacuated, blazes blamed on droughtSam Lewin 6/14/2006
Responding to a rash of wildfires on their sprawling reservation, two officials with the Navajo Nation have declared a state of emergency.A total of nine blazes are currently scorching tribal lands. The fires, which have led to the evacuation of some residents, are all blamed on severe drought conditions. Lighting has sparked some of the fires while the causes of others are still under investigation.Navajo president Joe Shirley, Jr., and Navajo Commission on Emergency Management head Herman Shorty jointly signed a resolution calling on all branches of Navajo government to plan for the worst and prepare to activate emergency funds.“The current and continued drought conditions in the Southwest, including the Navajo Nation, are such that [they] pose a substantial risk for wildland fires,” the resolution states.The blazes are centered on the Arizona/Utah border, including a 2,000-acre fire on Navajo Mountain. More than 30 people were evacuated from their home in the Arizona town of pine Springs, while a separate fire is threatening homes near the town of Heber, about 140 miles northeast of Phoenix. Perhaps the biggest scare came when tribal officials ordered 70 people living in the Navajo capitol of Window Rock to leave their homes and take refuge in an area school when flames from a 1655-acre wildfire came within a half-mile of the community. Several people were hospitalized, including two suffering from smoke inhalation. You can reach Sam Lewin at sam@okit.com
http://nativetimes.com/index.asp?action=displayarticle&article_id=7926
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Ceremonial seeks money to boost attendance

Ceremonial seeks money to boost attendance
By Zsombor PeterStaff Writer
GALLUP — In a bid to boost attendance during the city's Inter-Tribal Indian Ceremonial this year, coming up at the end of the July, Louis Bonaguidi will be asking the City Council for $15,000 Tuesday evening. According to a memo to the council from the City Clerk's Office, the Ceremonial Association's board of directors decided the $15,000 should be used for free admission to its Friday night show instead of free livestock feed this year and is requesting the city's permission. If approved, it will come in addition to the $25,000 the council agreed to award the event out of the city's lodgers tax revenues. Although the council is reluctant to subsidize established events it prefers using its funds to help nascent events get off the ground and asking them to stand on their own after a few years the Ceremonial provides a big boost to the local economy without fail every year. According to the state, it's the fifth largest tourist draw in New Mexico. And even though the event will be marking its 85th anniversary this year, the Ceremonial has been struggling to make ends meet since losing state sponsorship a decade ago. It's hoping for better days again now that the New Mexico Legislature has agreed to create an office for the Ceremonial within the state's Tourism Department and appropriated $125,000 for operational costs this year. During a recent visit to Gallup, Gov. Bill Richardson also spoke of his efforts to find a new director for the association. The council will also consider awarding a bid Tuesday for the construction of at least 30 new homes in the $100,000-$150,000 price range. City officials have called the shortage of affordable housing one of the main obstacles to economic development in Gallup. To entice reluctant developers, the city is offering free land, main water and sewer lines installed at its own expense, and $50,000. It hopes of recouping most of the $400,000 it will have invested in the endeavor, the city plans on placing a $10,000 lien on each home to be added to the final price tag. The city expects the homes to be completed within two years. They'll be built on a 6.8 acre plot by Patton and Dairy Drives the city bought for $300,000 to settle a lawsuit. After dealing with the Ceremonial, the council will consider another funding request by Teen Time's John Stewart. He's asking for $11,000 to purchase an air compressor for the paintball park he opened earlier this year behind the Larry Brian Mitchell Recreation Center. Stewart's mission isn't just fun and games. He started Teen Time, and the paintball park, to give local youth safe, recreational alternatives to using drugs. He's using the revenue from regular paying customers to subsidize the play of young substance abusers. Stewart's hope is that they'll stay clean for the privilege of playing every week for a nominal price. The council may also accept a deed for an 0.8 acre of land Tuesday from Gallup McKinley County Schools for the construction of a westside fire station near Gallup High School. City officials have been talking about building a fire station in the area for the past few years and won a $200,000 appropriation from the state this year to help make it happen. The meeting is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. inside the City Council Chambers.
http://www.gallupindependent.com/2006/jun/061206crmnl.html
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Desert Rock gets land lease

Desert Rock gets land lease
By Kathy HelmsDiné Bureau
WINDOW ROCK — The Navajo Nation Council voted Friday to lease 591 acres for the Desert Rock Energy Project despite opposition from the heads of Resources Committee.
Council approved the lease between the Navajo Nation and Din Power Authority and a sublease between DPA and Sithe Global Power LLC by a vote of 66-7 with 15 delegates either absent or not voting.
Among Resources members, Nelson Begaye, Herman Daniels and Harry Goldtooth voted to give the project the green light. Committee Chairman George Arthur and Vice Chairperson LaVern Wagner voted red, along with delegates Alice Benally, Jerry Bodie, Edison Jones, Ervin Keeswood and Ida Nelson.
Resources members Norman John II a DPA board member and prime sponsor of legislation related to the project along with Amos Johnson and Larry Noble, were among those not voting.
Upper Fruitland Delegate LoRenzo Bates, who voted for the project despite concerns about lack of an Environmental Impact Statement and the Navajo Nation taking a back seat in the project rather than ownership, said he also heard from Sithe that they encourage Navajo to be a partner.
"Yet when I read the memorandum from the president of the Navajo Nation, it doesn't state anywhere that the Nation is even considering that, other than the language in the document," he said. Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley Jr. sent a memorandum to delegates endorsing the project and asking for their support.
Bates told constituents, "It's important to me, and it should be important to us as a Nation that we become an owner right now. And I would like to make a plea to DPA to work in that direction, as well as the president, or even the next administration. Then we'll see how serious we are."
He also brought up concerns regarding water issues discussed Thursday and the eleventh-hour approach. "According to presenters, they have until June 7. It's a take-it-or-leave-it," Bates said.
"So it's come down to this, members of the council: 'Trust me. Trust me that this a good deal. Trust me that these issues are not going to be of concern. Trust me that we'll work toward. ...'"
Bates said he was giving his vote in favor of the project "because it's an opportunity that I hope this Nation works toward in terms of ownership." However, he added, "That's the only reason I'm giving a green vote. Because I've seen, in the course of the four years that I've been here, opportunities come and go. We don't act. This is an opportunity for the Navajo Nation."
Conflicting languageBates also offered an amendment to language in the resolution regarding a limited waiver of sovereign immunity. He asked that the words "expressly and unequivocally" be deleted from language stating: "The Navajo Nation hereby expressly and unequivocally waives sovereign immunity from suit with respect to any dispute under the lease or sublease ..."
Inserted in its place was language stating, "The Navajo Nation hereby approves a limited waiver of sovereign immunity." In making the motion, he said, "The way it's written, it grandstands the fact that we're waiving sovereign immunity, and I have a real problem with that. We as legislators should also have a concern with that."
Though counsel approved Bates amendment, Chief Legislative Counsel Ray Etcitty said the amendment did not change language in the lease itself. "The lease languages were drafted by the Department of Justice, Steve Begay with DPA and Sithe Global and those are the languages they have negotiated," he said.
Also helping put the lease together were representatives from the Division of Economic Development and the Bureau of Indian Affairs, which assisted in ironing out areas where their involvement and action might be required in processing and approval of the lease/sublease.
Following the final vote, Sanostee Delegate Jerry Bodie said "My constituents were very disappointed at how the council voted. One of the comments from my constituents was, 'These council, all they're looking for is money. Money, money, money - that's all.' They were saying that there was no consideration for the human factor of what's going to be involved."
Bodie said there is no proof that the new plant will have relatively clean air. "I asked for it: 'Where is that plant that has the clean emissions?' Nothing," he said.
He was concerned with Etsitty's comments regarding the limited waiver of sovereign immunity. "We only changed the resolution where it said 'grant a limited waiver.' But the lease was not changed. That's still in effect.
"So the Navajo Nation, in an essence, has waived its sovereign immunity with this DPA and Sithe Global. So we're in a very dangerous situation where we have given up our sovereign immunity. That's where my constituents are very concerned because we're the ones who are going to be affected.
"Even George Arthur, who at the beginning was in support of it, the more documents he read, the more dissatisfied he became, and that's why he voted against it too," Bodie said.
"It's our health that the council has put in jeopardy. It's going to be very detrimental to the community people, and that's where we're looking for an alternative as to how to maybe stall this until we revisit the lease. Even though the Nation has approved it, it's very damaging the way we did it."
Don't read, just voteBodie said his constituents also were very concerned that council did not really read the whole lease. "It was just given to us as the presenters were coming on (Friday), which makes it very difficult to listen to those people and read at the same time.
"There were two packages that were given to us," Bodie said, rather than the inch-thick binder they received during Thursday's work session. "Neither one of us, any of us, had any time to read it and comprehend it thoroughly to make a wise decision. I may be wrong, but I think that it was a very unwise decision," he said.
Resources' Arthur represents three chapters: his home chapter of San Juan; Burnham, where he was born, and Nenahnezad. "Two of the communities, Nenahnezad and San Juan primarily Nenahnezad supported the project. Burnham said no and has been saying no for a period of time," he said.
Arthur's vote against the power plant wasn't so much a matter of support vs. non-support, as it was a matter of business structure regarding the way the business plan and terms and conditions were put together.
"If you read it, and they explained it yesterday, there are three major segments of this Desert Rock. There's tax, then there's water, and then there's land. Each one of these three segments were negotiated separately, having no inner communications. There's no interaction, no inner communications amongst the negotiators on behalf of the tribe.
"The same way with water. The water was negotiated off on the side in some corner. We've been apprised of it periodically, status and procedures. That also has its own terms and conditions. Then comes the land lease. The land lease was negotiated somewhere. I don't know who negotiated the business withdrawal.
"Now, if you put all three of them together in a clear overhead-projection type letter, and laid them on top of one another and put down a line and find out a timeframe, where it begins and where certain things happen, and where it ends,"none of the lease periods are the same," Arthur said.
"Tax is 25 years with a 15 year revisit. Water is 40 years. This particular document that we just approved is 50 years with a revisit at 25. The question is, what happens to the water at the end of 40 years for the water agreement?
"They themselves also have stated that the lifetime of the plant is 40 years. So why would you want to extend beyond the lifetime of the plant? That's a concern that I have."
Arthur said he told Sithe representatives in the presence of Din Power Authority that he would vote against it if they did not change the lease to coincide with the water lease agreement. "And I just did that," he said after the vote.
"That was what my amendment was going to be when I kept saying I needed to make an amendment. I didn't get recognized, but I guess that's the way the ball bounces at times. But I don't think it was in the best interest of the Nation, as far as business terms and conditions are concerned."
The lease does have conflicting languages which will be problematic somewhere down the road, he said."The only way the matter can be revisited is if someone introduces another legislation and council moves forward with that."
Sithe is now in the process of obtaining an air permit, according to Arthur. "Then there's the BHP coal supply. Those are probably the next two items of business activities that they're going to have to deal with. The air permit eventually that has to come back to Resources," he said.
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