by Benjamin H. Nuvamsa
Indian Country Today
10 November 2009
As the Hopi Tribe moves toward its 2009 general
election, there are many issues the Hopi and Tewa voters need to
learn about and consider before casting their votes.
We have the worst tribal political corruption
in Indian country, numerous civil rights violations and gross
misuse of tribal funds under the current leadership that must be
addressed and investigated. But I believe the most important and
immediate issue facing the Hopi Tribe now is the decision by the
Office of Surface Mining to issue a Life of Mine Permit to the
Peabody Coal Company. The permit will have devastating long-term
impacts on the Hopi Tribe so the new tribal administration must
learn more about it and take a positive stand on behalf of the
Hopi and Tewa people.
On Dec. 22, 2008, OSM issued a decision to
issue a LOM Permit to Peabody for the Black Mesa Mine area that
will commit our coal and water resources to Peabody for several
generations to come. Many Hopi and Tewa (and Navajo) people
objected and filed law suits against OSM. The oral arguments on
this suit will be in March 2010.
Todd Honyaoma Sr., while he was vice chairman,
signed a letter dated Feb. 5, 2007, saying the Hopi Tribe supports
Alternative A of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the
Black Mesa Project. At that time, Alternative A provided for
drilling wells in the Leupp area from the Coconino Aquifer
(C-Aquifer) with provisions for tapping the Navajo Aquifer
(N-Aquifer) and delivering the water through a pipeline to the
Black Mesa area to slurry coal to the Mohave Generating Station in
Laughlin, Nev. There was no tribal council resolution in place
that supported Honyaoma’s claim.
And today, there is still no resolution in
place that supports his claim, but OSM used that letter to move
forward with its decision. The Hopi and Tewa people previously
objected to the pumping of the N-Aquifer that eventually led to
the stoppage of this pumping. It’s important to point out that
Honyaoma signed this letter one day before the Feb. 6, 2007
general election. When Honyaoma signed this letter, he signed away
the Hopi and Tewa people’s water and coal resources to the Peabody
Coal Company for many generations to come. The tribe’s energy team
and the Bush administration were in a hurry to approve the permit
before the new administration took office.
On May 29, Scott Canty, the tribe’s general
counsel, filed a Petition to Intervene in the Hopi-Tewa people’s
lawsuit against OSM. He did this without authorization from the
tribal council and against the wishes of tribal members. He said
in his filing that the shutdown of NGS will have devastating
impacts on revenues to the Hopi Tribe. He also labeled the Hopi
and Tewa people who objected to OSM’s decision as “inadequate and
improper” advocates. He claimed that only he and Joelynn Roberson,
a tribal consultant, are the proper “decision makers” for the Hopi
Tribe on this matter.
Those of us who object to the LOM Permit are
not saying to shut down the NGS. What we are saying is the EIS is
flawed and must be redone. We are also saying there is a better
way to mine our coal and use our water – a better way that is
friendly to the environment (to our land and to the air we
breathe); a better way that will be in line with our Hopi and Tewa
traditions, a better way that will maximize revenues to the Hopi
Tribe; and a better way that will allow the Hopi Tribe to fully
exercise its sovereignty.
We just learned–at the Water and Energy Forum
sponsored by the Hopi Organizational Political Initiative–of the
sad history surrounding the Black Mesa and the role of Peabody
Coal Company, the Hopi Tribe’s attorney, and the federal
government in exploiting our resources. I do not believe the Hopi
and Tewa people want to repeat this sad history.
I ran for the office of tribal chairman in the
2007 Special Election and the Black Mesa-Peabody Coal issue was
the cornerstone of my platform. I believe in transparency and
accountability. I believe in preserving our culture and protecting
our natural resources. I carried out these principles during my
administration and informed and educated our people on these
issues. But the career politicians, particularly those on the
energy team and the tribe’s attorney, worked very hard to drive me
out of office because of my position on this very important
matter. Did they have something to hide?
I believe, as many other tribal members do,
that the most important and immediate issue facing the Hopi Tribe
is our coal and water resources. These resources are very
important for our daily lives, our culture, our environment, our
economy and future generations. I hope that everyone takes the
time to learn more about this important issue and make an informed
decision before voting.
I was pleased to see all four candidates attend
the H.O.P.I. forum; their attendance indicates their interest in
this important matter. Now, they must come out and tell the Hopi
and Tewa people where they stand on the LOM Permit and what they
will do to address it.
The outcome of the tribal primary election is a
clear statement by the people that enough is enough, and that we
must stop the reckless exploitation of our resources by our own
people and tribal attorney.
Benjamin H. Nuvamsa is former chairman of the Hopi Tribe.