FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 4, 2026
Contact:
- Herb Yazzie, White Grass Resident, 602-291-4474, hyazzie2003@yahoo.com
- Adrian Herder, Tó Nizhóní Ání, 928-380 3914, adrian@tonizhoniani.org
- Robyn Jackson, Diné C.A.R.E., 505-862 4433, robyn.jackson@dine-care.org
Statement of Tó Nizhóní Ání and Diné C.A.R.E. on FERC Acceptance of Preliminary Permit Application for Chilchinbeto Pumped Storage Project on Black Mesa
Groups representing a wide cross-section of Diné who live both on Black Mesa and across the Navajo Nation are renewing their opposition to a new application submitted to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) seeking permission to explore development of a massive pumped hydro storage project near Kayenta.
The proposed Chilchinbeto Pumped Storage project would construct two reservoirs, containing 10,000 acre-feet each of water, one on the rim of Black Mesa and the other 1,500 feet below in the valley. The water to fill the reservoirs would come from either the aquifer deep beneath Black Mesa or possibly the San Juan River, according to the application submitted by the company Nature and People First. After the initial 10,000 acre-feet to fill the reservoirs, the project would require withdrawing another 2,500 acre-feet every year to keep them full – nearly 10 times the estimated annual water use of the town of Kayenta.
A similar proposal submitted previously to FERC by the company was formally opposed by the Navajo Nation, which cited potentially adverse impacts to tribal land, water and cultural resources, and it was ultimately rejected.
In addition to the reservoirs, the industrial-scale project would include: a 2-mile long, 30-foot diameter power conduit; a 200-foot-high powerhouse with pumps and generators; four 16-foot-diameter 500-foot-long water tubes; and up to 113 miles of new overhead transmission lines.
FERC’s acknowledgement of the preliminary permit application begins a 60-day public comment period and evaluation. Following are reactions of Nature and People First’s renewed attempts at industrial exploitation of Navajo resources.
“Last year, the current administration proposed a FERC rulemaking to do away with the tribal consultation and consent on issues such as this. What has the Navajo Nation done about this proposed rulemaking since then, other than submitting comments to ask for more time?” – Herb Yazzie, Black Mesa resident & former Chief Justice of the Navajo Supreme Court
“Just like Black Mesa’s coal mines, the Chilchinbeto Pumped Storage Project would exploit Navajo land, water, and communities to export energy and profits to people and cities far away. We’re seeing water sources throughout the southwest dry up. We can’t afford to give away our precious groundwater to industry, again.” – Adrian Herder, Community Organizer, Tó Nizhóní Ání
“This project has been ill-conceived since the beginning. Diné groups local to the region and across Diné bikéyah have strongly objected to any further extraction of the people’s water for short-term purposes, such as this hydro pump storage project. Good water sources are hard to come by, nowadays, and cannot be wasted on exploitative projects that are forced onto our communities.” – Robyn Jackson, executive director of Diné C.A.R.E.
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