The Navajos Resort to Green Energy
The Navajos have relied on coal in order to obtain energy for a very long time. Coal has been a source of income for them, and they were OK with it, even if that meant that power plants and mines had to be created in their reservations.
It seems that this year things will change, as the Navajos are getting more and more concerned about the poor state of the environment, and are willing to replace the coal with the more eco-friendly energy sources. The Navajos are interested in learning about ecotourism, micro businesses, and solar farms. Earl Tulley, a Navajo housing official, said that a change needs to be made, because the situation is getting very bad. He is running for president of the Navajo Nation in the Nov. 2 election, and it is very likely that he will win, since more and more people are interested just like him in an environmental improvement.
The people just like him, would like to rely more and more on the green energy sources such as the wind and the sun, instead of the fossil fuels. The reservations are great for such a thing, as they are located in shinny places where the wind has great power. Mr. Tulley stated that the situation needs to be analyzed very thoroughly, and that the people should realized that the benefits will not be seen in an instance. The Navajo Nation is the largest tribe in the United States of America, as it has more than 300,000 people. The tribe also has the biggest reservation which spreads on a 17 million-acre reservation spanning Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.
Numerous coal mines and coal power-plants were built on the reservation, and they offered more than 1,500 jobs. A third of the tribe’s budget came from these mines and power plants. The money was needed and welcomed, but the power-plants had their side effects as well. The first negative aspect of these power-plants is the fact that they are polluting. The water has been contaminated because of them, smog and soot pollution occurred, and for the first time, thousands of Navajos wanted to move out of the area. In the Navajo culture it is forbidden to dig up the ground in order to exploit it. Their main duty is to protect the land which is considered to be sacred, and by opening the mines and the power-plants they have broken their moral duties.
Anthony Lee Sr., president of the Diné Hataalii Association, which is a group of 100 healers, stated that they do not want to be associated with destroying the earth anymore. Another reason for the change has been the fact that the coal exploitation has been less lucrative than in the previous years. They no longer make as much profit as they used to, and one of the reasons for that is the fact that they have to pay certain fees and taxes to the government for the pollution they cause. It is believed that the taxes will be increased in the following years, which would mean that they would make even less money. Two coal mines have been already shut down, and the reason why the Black Mesa Mine (one of them) got closed was because the owners would have had to pay $1.2 billion in order for it to meet pollution controls required by the Environmental Protection Agency.
The E.P.A stated earlier this month, that another mine will have to make changes worth of $700 million in order to meet their standards; otherwise it would have to shut down. It is very likely that this mine will have the same fate as the Black Mesa Mine. The plant is called Four Corners Power Plant and it is located in New Mexico. The E.P.A said that it is the highest emitter of nitrous oxide than any other power plant from the country. The Navajo coal is delivered to numerous states, but it seems that those states are willing to convert to eco-friendliness as well. California is one of the states and in the more recent period of time it started to order more and more renewable energy instead of coal.
Because of this, the leaders of the tribes have said that they are looking to make money from other sources such as casinos and green energy. The first wind farm will be built in the reservation, and it will provide electricity for 20,000 homes. The Navajo Green Economy Commission was created last year and it has the task of promoting eco-friendly jobs and businesses. Ben Shelly, the Navajo Nation vice president, who is now running for president, stated that it is the responsibility of the Navajo people to protect the earth. It seems that the citizens from the reservations have the same opinion, as they have often contested the coal mines, considering them to be hazardous for the health and useless from an economical point of view.
There are more than 18,000 homes which do nit have electricity in the reservation, and up until this point it has been said that the costs would be too much in order to provide electricity for all the homes. The green energy could be more useful from this point of view. Mr. Yazzie however has stated that the main concern is the pollution and not the electricity. He would like to make the change because he is aware of the health issues associated with the coal mines and the coal industry overall. He has some relatives who have to suffer because of it, and one of them is Daniel Benally, who is 73 years old, and who for the last period of time has lived with shortness of breath. He admits that he made most of his money thanks to the coal industry, but he says that in the end he chose health instead of money.
There are many people like him, who realized that it’s just not worth sacrificing the health for some extra money. These people were very happy when they were told that actions will be taken against certain coal mines. Thanks to the closure of those two mines previously mentioned, the water is a lot cleaner than before. The E.P.A has stated that the Four Corners Power Plant and the Navajo Generating Station are two of the most polluting of their kind from the country, affecting 27 areas from their proximity, including the Grand Canyon.
According to Jared Blumenfeld, who is the regional E.P.A. director, the two plants were the number 1 and number 4 in the country when it came to the nitrogen oxides emissions. These oxides can cause lots of health problems, such as asthmas, heart attacks, and so on. The news that they got shut down pleased everybody, as the action was seen as a step closer towards the “green movement”. However, now new problems might arrive, because the Navajo will not receive tax deductions from the state since they are a sovereign entity. It will be extremely difficult for them to replace the revenue collected from the coal. Some people involved in the coal mining industry stated that it is possible that the Navajo will regret this decision from a financial point of view. The Navajo do not share their opinions, as they believe that the coal industry was dying anyhow, and that it would have not lasted for too much.
