PRESS
RELEASE
Wednesday,
December 20, 2006
Contacts:
Dailan J.
Long, Diné CARE, Doodá Desert Rock Committee
(505) 801-0713
Elouise Brown,
Doodá Desert Rock Committee
(505) 947-6159
Lori Goodman,
Diné CARE
(970) 259-0199
Desert Rock
Blockade: Doodá Desert Rock Resisters are Served,
Diné
Power Authority is booted from Council Agenda
Early Wednesday
morning, the resisters of the Doodá Desert Rock
Blockade were served with several Temporary Restraining
Orders and an
immediate injunctive relief on behalf of the Diné
Power Authority/Sithe
Global. The complaint, filed in the district of Shiprock,
NM Tuesday
afternoon, cites the unlawful entry of Burnham citizens
and their
interference with the process of the proposed Desert
Rock power plant.
DPA/Sithe’s actions are the follow up from a threatening
letter which
Stephen Begay (DPA) delivered to resisters Tuesday afternoon.
Alice Gilmore,
Grazing Permit holder for the site, also received a
restraining order against her despite her continual
outcry against the
project. Gilmore has never relinquished her permit and
has no plans to
stop opposing the project. Other resisters are supporting
her stance,
and despite being served, there is no future of resisters
backing down.
“Restraining
orders are not stopping us” states Lucy Willie, Vice
President of the Doodá Desert Rock Committee,
“we’re here to stay.”
After being served, the group learned of DPA/Sithe’s
proposal being
removed from the Tribal Council’s Agenda for Thursday’s
Session.
DPA/Sithe had plans to request $7 million from the Navajo
Nation for
the project but, for undisclosed reasons, they were
taken off the
agenda. Elders at the blockade are accrediting Council
Delegate
Francis Redhouse for the occurrence. “We want to thank
our son, Mr.
Redhouse from Teecnospos, for standing up for us,” Willie
continues,
“We’re finally being heard.”
As a matter
of fact, the world is tuning in. “We are getting a massive
amount of media from Europe, Canada, Australia, and
other foreign
countries,” states Dailan Jake of Burnham, New Mexico,
media
spokesperson for Diné CARE/Doodá Desert
Rock Committee, “There are a
large number of people, within and outside the United
States, that are
listening and the media is publicizing this story because
this project
is an act of terrorism and cultural genocide. Sithe
Global LLC, Desert
Rock Energy, and the Diné Power Authority are
committing an injustice
against Native people and the world is seeing how they
are acting.”
The Doodá
Desert Rock resistors are under the legal services of
Brad A.
Bartlett, Energy Minerals Law Center and have also retained
the legal
representation of James W. Zion. They are still asking
for public
support.
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