Desert Rock foes go to top

Desert Rock opponents took the fight to New York City this week. Several Navajo Nation tribal members, who will be impacted by the proposed Desert Rock Power Plant, met this week with top officials with Sithe Global Power, the power plant’s proponent, and the Blackstone Group, which owns an 80 percent financial stake in Desert Rock.

On April 30, members from the Navajo grassroots group, Diné Citizens Against Ruining our Environment, sat down with Bruce Wrobel, Sithe’s chairman and CEO, and David Foley, senior managing director of the Blackstone Group, in New York. During the meeting, they urged the executives to reconsider the massive power plant, which is proposed for Navajo Nation land just southwest of Farmington. They advocated instead for clean energy options for the reservation, which is rich in both wind and sun resources.

“Desert Rock is a bad financial risk for investors and bad for Navajo health and prosperity,” said Dailan Long, community grassroots organizer for Diné CARE.

Long added that while the proponents claim Desert Rock will generate $50 million in tribal revenues per year for the Navajo Nation, the plant could actually come at a higher price. If it is built, Long said the Navajos could feel the financial impact of impending global warming legislation, which could mean a carbon tax of between $63.5 million and $292.1 million dollars per year, according to his calculations. Diné CARE is arguing instead in favor of the Navajo Nation’s vast renewable energy resources, which will be free of carbon costs.

“The Navajo Nation contains valuable, untapped solar and wind resources which could be a wise investment for the tribe and Blackstone,” said Lori Goodman of Diné CARE. “Solar and wind development is common sense for the Diné.”

Long and others also contended that Navajos will face forced relocation by the proposed expansion of the existing BHP Billiton Navajo coal mine that would fuel Desert Rock. They added that additional pollution will further degrade the health of local Navajo communities already impacted by two nearby coal-fired power plants and other industrial facilities. Both the San Juan Generating Station and the Four Corners Power Plant sit within 25 miles of the proposed Desert Rock facility.

“There is an existing legacy of energy exploitation in Navajo communities where coal, natural gas, and oil are found under our homes and communities,” said Long. “Desert Rock plans to export its power to large cities in Nevada and southern Arizona and leave us with the pollution.”

Diné CARE was invited to New York to speak at the United Nations Seventh Permanent Forum on Indigenous Peoples on April 29. During the forum, they detailed the impacts of living in a region being dramatically affected by intensive energy development. They also presented their economic study, “Economic and Energy Alternatives to the Desert Rock Energy Project,” which found that wind and concentrating solar power would deliver more jobs, less financial risk and less pollution to the Navajo Nation.

By Chee Brossy
Navajo Times
WINDOW ROCK, May 1, 2008

On March 27, the Navajo Nation, through Diné Power Authority and the president's office, announced an agreement in principle with a nonprofit Boston energy firm to develop wind power on the reservation. Several locations are under consideration.

One of those locations is Gray Mountain, near Cameron, Ariz. Studies have identified the area to be one of the best locations for developing wind power in Arizona.

The power would be generated by giant wind turbines - about 20 stories high - placed strategically on a ridge or other site where conditions favor steady winds.

The agreement with Citizens Energy is non-binding, according to a news release from the president's office.

But the community of Cameron, whose chapter includes Gray Mountain, wants to be included in any development and negotiations involving their land base, said Rayola Werito, chapter manager.

So far, communication with Window Rock has been spotty, while a private company from Oklahoma has worked hard to build bridges with the chapter.

"We weren't looking for a developer or any studies to be done," Werito said. "It started with (the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority) coming in with an anemometer to study the wind. Then DPA came in with Citizens Energy, but then it didn't move on from there, and DPA never came back."

Then the chapter was contacted by the Oklahoma-based Independent Power Project, which wanted to perform more studies and develop wind power in cooperation with the chapter.
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"(Independent Power Project) came to the chapter and did many presentations," Werito said. "And the community really supported their project. They come back to the chapter on a monthly basis to do workshops, and report to the community on the feasibility studies. They have shown more concern for the community."

Currently the chapter's only agreement with IPP is for a feasibility study of the wind energy potential on Gray Mountain. This includes setting up towers with anemometers - devices that measure wind power - to determine if and where wind turbines could be placed.

Across the United States, renewable energy is a rapidly growing market and wind energy is shaping up to be a major source.

Diné Power Authority officials have been hesitant to make any agreements with outside companies for renewable energy on the reservation and continues to see it as a marginal player next to conventional sources such as coal-fired power plants.

The agreement with Citizens is the first time DPA has signaled its interest in pursuing a renewable energy project, at least to the public.

Begay characterized DPA's cautious approach as linked to developing technology in the renewable energy industry.

"It's a changing industry," he said. "Some players may be there today but not tomorrow. It's entering a maturing phase, but it's still high-cost power - it hasn't hit that point where it is low cost."

DPA is looking to add renewable energy to its energy portfolio, Begay said, but any wind energy projects are still in the initial planning stages.

"Plans have been under way for a couple of years to get the permission to use the land and abide by the Land Department's procedures for the wind project," he said.

Begay also stressed that any negotiations are in the initial stages, along the lines of feasibility studies. And no site has been chosen as a location for the wind project.

But one thing the community of Cameron would like to see is more one-on-one talks with tribal agencies dealing with renewable energy development.

"We don't want what happened at Desert Rock to happen here," said Werito, referring to the controversial coal-fired power plant proposal backed by DPA. "We want the community to be involved. We do know that this will benefit not just Cameron, but the entire Navajo Nation. We're looking forward to renewable energy."

The chapter brought its concerns to a meeting with DPA on April 8.

In an interview after the meeting, Begay said the chapter will have to "work with the central systems" of the tribal government, such as DPA and the Renewable Energy Task Force, a part of the executive branch.

"We will continue to work with them but we will also follow the Navajo Nation laws, the laws of the central government," Begay said.

The chapter is also cautious in its negotiations with IPP. Chapter President Teddy Bedonie said it is apprehensive about the number of turbines that IPP has suggested Gray Mountain can hold - IPP has said possibly 200 of the giant structures could be placed on the mountain for energy production.

"The scenery around the Little Colorado and the Grand Canyon is very important to us," Bedonie said. "We don't want to pollute Gray Mountain with wind turbines."

In a related issue, chapter officials brought up concerns about existing transmission lines that run through the chapter. Werito noted that the chapter has seen no revenue from the lines, which carry power from the Navajo Generating Station at Page to Phoenix and other cities.

"The community is not benefiting from it, so concerns came up," she said. "So the people (of Cameron) are cautious about the projects we let into the community."