WINDOW ROCK — Should the life of Black
Mesa Review Board be extended, or has it fulfilled its
legislative intent? In which case, could dwindling Navajo
Nation dollars that are appropriated to the board be
better spent elsewhere?
This was one of the issues the board
was asked to respond to during Monday’s Intergovernmental
Relations Committee meeting as IGR assesses future governmental
operations under the Office of the Speaker.
Jones Begay, secretary, said the review
board was created in the mid-1960s by Chairman Peter
MacDonald to advocate on behalf of the Black Mesa community
living within the mining operations of Peabody Western
Coal Co.’s Black Mesa and Kayenta mines.
Begay said the board has assisted some
of the original families living within the boundaries
of Black Mesa. The families have received either a one-time
cash settlement or have been relocated to a new home
provided to them by Peabody.
Begay said the majority of families
opted for the cash settlement and now are in need of
homes. Succeeding generations now living on Black Mesa
were left out of the agreement, he said. They’re still
living in rural areas without electricity and running
water. They’re still hauling water for livestock, and
some are still living in “jurisdictional limbo.”
The review board is working on a major
project that could give Navajo people living in the
area water and plumbing, according to Begay. However,
the board can only accomplish so much due to lack of
funding from the Navajo Nation government, he said.
He recommended the board be allowed
to finish what it started and that the Nation be supportive
of its efforts. He cited post-mining and reclamation
efforts as areas of concern and requested that the board
be allowed to give a report during the next council
session.
“We would like to establish a good working
relationship with the council and Speaker’s Office,”
Begay said. “We would like to request support from the
Speaker’s Office. The families out there need help.
We have projects all over — all we need is money.”
Several IGR members, including Francis
Redhouse, expressed concerns about the review board.
“I look at it as Nenahnezad, Burnham and Upper Fruitland
have a coal mine, but they don’t have a review board.
“To me, the existence of Black Mesa
Review Board has served its purpose. The money could
make an impact in other parts of the reservation. These
projects should be given back to the chapters instead
of giving them to the review board,” Redhouse said.
Johnny Naize said he would like to see
a list of the current projects and questioned whether
any of the projects in the mining area are being affected
by the land dispute.
Delegate Ervin Keeswood told Begay that
if the intent of the board was to acquire a cash settlement,
“it sounds like that already has been done; and now
you want to acquire for them a home to prolong the life
of the board.”
IGR’s George Arthur, who is chairman
of the Resources Committee, said, “We are presently
in budget deliberations. We’re going to be allocating
where these funds are going to be placed and if they’re
allocable.”
Arthur said that according to Begay’s
report, there are seven chapters involved in the projects
outlined by the board. “These chapters received $180,000
by council’s initiative. If you add up all these, it’s
$1,260,000. We should be realistic. If the chapters
get together, they could move these initiatives forward.”
He added that Resources already is working
with four of the chapters on water line and power line
development projects.
IGR’s Andy Ayze spoke in support of
the board. “There are no activities going on by Peabody.
The review board needs to continue,” he said.
Evalena Claw, community liaison for
the board, said one of the problems she sees is jurisdiction.
“When you try to start a project, you run upon jurisdiction.
The grays become grayer. If you think it’s black and
white, it’s not. It’s more mottled.”
She recommended the board be given more
authority, however, Keeswood disagreed.
“This group has no authority. It’s a
recommending body. So, how much money are we putting
into a recommending body?” he asked. “When they recommend,
does anybody listen?
“We need to look at the New Mexico side.
If we don’t have a group in New Mexico, do we need one
in Arizona?”
