Pumped Storage Faces Renewed Opposition on Black Mesa as FERC Attacks Tribal Sovereignty

For Immediate Release Wednesday, April 1, 2026 Contacts: Pumped Storage Faces Renewed Opposition on Black Mesa as FERC Attacks Tribal Sovereignty KAYENTA, Ariz – Pumped storage developments targeting Dził Yíjiin (Black Mesa) are facing renewed opposition from residents in and around the mesa’s previously-mined coal-lease area on the Navajo Nation. Facing ongoing pressure to develop…

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President Nygren, don’t let history repeat itself by settling for less with TEP

President Nygren, don’t let history repeat itself by settling for less with TEP Tucson Electric Power (TEP) is inching closer to negotiating a deal for the right-of-way (ROW) renewal of TEP’s transmission lines in eastern Navajo for another 25 to 50 years. As the federal government pushes for “energy dominance,” existing transmission lines are critical. The Navajo Nation’s negotiations with TEP should ensure fair market rate compensation, since the initial 1973 agreement for one-time payments…

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Kayenta Pumped Storage Hydropower, more risks than rewards

Kayenta Pumped Storage Hydropower, more risks than rewards  By Adrian Herder, Community Organizer, Tó Nizhóní Ání  KAYENTA, AZ – On Tuesday, March 17, 2026, members of Tó Nizhóní Ání (TNA) traveled to Kayenta, AZ to learn about the latest proposed Kayenta Pumped Storage Hydropower (Kayenta PSH) project.   Nature and People First (NPF) are the developers pushing pumped storage hydropower (PSH) on the Navajo Nation, particularly in the Black Mesa region. Pumped storage pumps water uphill…

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Diné communities pressured to support Fossil Fuels  

Diné communities pressured to support Fossil Fuels   By Eleanor Smith, Community Organizer Besides the research and technical assistance Environmental groups such as the one I work for, offer more wholistic considerations of projects and serve as technical assistance for community members who are being bombarded daily with technical proposals and projects from companies and industry who want to use Navajo land and water.  The technical aspects…

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Tó Nizhóní Ání Statement on FERC Decision to Permanently Destroy a Sacred Mountain in the Pacific Northwest

Immediate Release March 2, 2026 Contact: Tó Nizhóní Ání Statement on FERC Decision to Permanently Destroy a Sacred Mountain in the Pacific Northwest BLACK MESA, NAVAJO NATION – The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has issued a hydroelectric license to the Goldendale Pumped Storage project.  This is the latest move by a Federal Agency to…

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People Against Polluters Rally/March

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  Contact:  People Against Polluters Rally to Demand Closure of Pinyon Plain Uranium Mine and Continued Protections for the Region  FLAGSTAFF, AZ – On Saturday, February 28th, community members, Indigenous leaders, environmental advocates, and allies from across northern Arizona gathered in downtown Flagstaff for the People Against Polluters Rally, a public action calling…

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Diné Community Members Express Concerns on the Proposal to Reform the Navajo Nation Government Advocated by the Office of Navajo Government Development

For Immediate Release February 3, 2026 Contacts: Diné Community Members Express Concerns on the Proposal to Reform the Navajo Nation Government Advocated by the Office of Navajo Government Development   WINDOW ROCK, ARIZONA – As Diné community members, we express great concern with the proposed reforms to the Navajo Nation government contained within the Office of…

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Shifting Topographies: Extracting the Landscape Exhibit Closing Reception and Discussion with Tó Nizhóní Ání

Shifting Topographies: Extracting the Landscape Exhibit Closing Reception and Discussion with Tó Nizhóní Ání On Saturday, December 20, 2025, Tó Nizhóní Ání (TNA) closed out the SHIFTING TOPOGRAPHIES: Extracting the Landscape exhibit at the Coconino Center for the Arts (CCA) in Flagstaff, AZ. In the early Fall, our organization was approached by members of the…

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Wool in Watershed Restoration Pilot Project Install

Wool in Watershed Restoration Pilot Project Install What started as an idea in August 2025, while passing through one of the lesser-wooded communities on the Navajo Nation, morphed into a mini-pilot project. The Navajo Nation is in no short supply of wool and mohair; often, communities that don’t use wool for weaving discard the wool. Here…

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Hydropower Developers’ no-show at Kayenta Chapter meeting leaves Impacted Communities with more questions than answers

For Immediate Release November 20, 2025 Contact: Hydropower Developers’ no-show at Kayenta Chapter meeting leaves Impacted Communities with more questions than answers Chapter officials table hydropower resolution, ask for more community info sessions as FERC seeks to end a policy blocking permits on Tribal land, absent Tribal support. KAYENTA, Ariz— On a cloudy, rainy Wednesday afternoon, the Kayenta…

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