Buu’s 2nd State of the Nation
On Tuesday, January 14, 2025, Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren took the stage in Tuba City, Arizona, to provide his 2nd State of the Nation to over 1,000+ people at Greyhills Academy High School gymnasium. The morning was filled with performances by local Diné artists, speeches from local leaders of Western Agency, and updates from the division directors of the Navajo Nation. At around 11 AM, Buu debuted to provide less than an hour’s worth of his “2nd State of the Nation Address” before being cut off by the MC to proceed with the rest of the agenda.
As much as we appreciate the address before the Winter Session, we found it concerning that his address had very little to no mention of the other environmental concerns plaguing our nation.
The President’s address was focused more on the many efforts and accolades for the Water Rights Settlements in 2024 and the various water projects initiated in 2024. When talking about Water Rights and water projects, many proposed energy projects that plan to use Navajo water were not mentioned. Further, there was no mention on steps the Nation was taking to protect Navajo water from industry or from other sources of contamination and waste. Considering that most of what Navajo has negotiated in terms of water rights is groundwater, and less in surface water. What thresholds are being set for how much water can safely be leased for industry use, going forward. Projects like the Black Mesa Pumped Storage Project and Hydrogen have been aggressive in pushing the Nygren administration for approval of their projects on Navajo lands. These projects need a tremendous amount of water but have never been transparent to communities about where this water would come from and how much is needed for their projects.
As much as we appreciate the address before Winter Session, we found it concerning that Buu’s address had very little to no mention of the other environmental concerns plaguing our nation.
Tweet
For communities of Black Mesa, water depletion and depressurization have led to widespread loss of local water sources from seeps and springs. Now that the coal mining is gone, communities must wait for the aquifers to recover. Scientists tell us that this could be 20 years or longer. But until then, we cannot commit any more water to industry.
After Buu’s 2nd State of the Nation Address during his “autograph” session, we provided him with information on Tó Nizhóní Ání campaigns against some of these “bad” energy projects proposed on the Navajo Nation. We also shared initiatives that Buu should be prioritizing to ensure water protection, management, recovery and remediation.
Read read his 2nd State of the Nation Address here:
