Groups formally oppose pumped storage proposal targeting Black Mesa

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 27, 2026

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Groups formally oppose pumped storage proposal targeting Black Mesa

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – Tó Nizhóní Ání, Diné Citizens Against Ruining our Environment (Diné CARE), Black Mesa Trust and the Center for Biological Diversity have filed motions to intervene urging the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to deny the preliminary permit application for the Chilchinbeto Pumped Storage project southeast of Kayenta on the Navajo Nation  

“This wildly unrealistic project would only add to decades of harm from coal mining to Black Mesa’s people, land and aquifers,” said Nicole Horseherder, executive director of Tó Nizhóní Ání. “Asking for federal approval when the application is riddled with incomplete, misleading and infeasible information is the height of arrogance. It tells us all we need to know.” 

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 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 an estimated 2,500 acre-feet every year to keep them full. 

“Like coal mining before, this proposal would require rural communities to sacrifice more land and water so that electricity and profits can be exported to faraway cities,” said Robyn Jackson, executive director of Diné C.A.R.E. “This isn’t something we want or need, and it’s not a history we’ll tolerate repeating.” 

The groups’ motion cites problems relating to industrializing Black Mesa and its groundwater, including impacts to local communities and families, depletion of rivers, groundwater, and springs, and impacts to wildlife and their habitat. It cites the applicants’ failure to consult with the Hopi Tribe, failure to consider water use in the context of regional drying, and their mischaracterization of support from the Navajo Nation’s Resources and Development Committee. It details incomplete, misleading, and infeasible aspects of the proposed project and calls for affected communities to participate in any further study development.

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Tó Nizhóní Ání, which translates as “Sacred Water Speaks,” is a Diné-led nonprofit organization established in 2001 from the Black Mesa region. Tó Nizhóní Ání is rooted in water protection and works to bring power back to our Diné communities impacted by coal while leading community transition away from fossil fuels. Tó bee iiná. Water is life. 

Diné C.A.R.E. is an all-Navajo non-profit environmental justice organization comprised of grassroots community members active on Navajo Nation lands in Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah. Incorporated on Navajo Nation in 1991, Diné C.A.R.E. advocates for Diné traditional teachings by protecting and providing a voice for all life within and beyond the Four Sacred Mountains. 

Black Mesa Trust is a Hopi-led non-profit organization that safeguards, preserves, and honors the sacred land, culture, and water of the Hopi People and Mother Earth for future generations.