Encouragement to the Community of Cameron

Encouragement to the Community of Cameron: Regarding the Recent Chapter Meeting on October 27, 2024

November 4, 2024

To the residents of Cameron, I would like to encourage you to assert your position as a community and exercise your rights as Diné citizens. You have the right to be informed about projects that propose to take your resources, use your land, and ultimately affect your life. You have the right to request for your community fair and reasonable compensation for projects on your lands and demand that clean-up, remediation, and appropriate transition support be included in these project agreements. Most importantly, you have the right to refuse projects that are not transparent, experimental in nature, or don’t have adequate regulation and enforcement measures in place that are effective at the Navajo Nation level. I have been to the Cameron Chapter a handful of times in the last 2.5 years, requesting to provide information about hydrogen in general and a hydrogen pipeline project that will run 200+ miles across Navajo Lands through at least 13 Navajo Chapters. Cameron is the southwestern most Chapter that will host a portion of the pipeline. Each visit to the Cameron Chapter has been met with resistance and even outright opposition from one Chapter official. Finally, on October 27, I was put on the agenda to present for 30 minutes. However, just before I started, I was told I had 10 minutes instead. I then reminded the Chapter President that during the September Cameron Planning meeting, they agreed to 30 minutes. I reiterated that I should be afforded the same amount of time as the hydrogen developers proposing to do the pipeline. In the past GreenView had been given 30 minutes or more, not only at Cameron Chapter but at other Chapters as well, while I have consistently been cut off or told I would only be allowed 10 minutes. When I was called to present at Cameron Chapter on October 27, 2024, it took me at least 10 minutes to set up my PowerPoint presentation, and then I proceeded to show my slides. As I presented the information that I and other Tó Nizhóní Ání (TNA) colleagues have been researching since 2021, I also gave an overview of the main issues that TNA would like each community to consider which are Climate Change, water usage, pipeline safety and adequate regulation and community engagement. At least 15 minutes into my presentation, I added that if community members had questions, they could ask them at any time as I wanted to cater to the community’s interests and specific concerns. Immediately the Chapter President interjected and asked that questions be reserved for the end. I think it should be up to the presenter to decide the format of their presentation, my only restriction should’ve been the 30 minutes, not the way I relayed information. GreenView was certainly not told how to present their information. This caused some harsh discourse between a Cameron community member and the Chapter President. I attempted to diffuse the interaction by turning the focus back to my presentation and referencing my past interactions with Cameron Chapter on the hydrogen matter. I did eventually get to take questions from the audience. The community had very good questions, and I regret I had to intentionally shorten my answers. Each question could have been its own 30-minute discussion and deserves further explanation. I also reminded the community members that I was only there to provide information, and the issues we have as an organization with this project. We are not there to tell them how to vote. However, if they wanted to take a stand on this issue, we encourage them to do so. We have seen and heard GreenView, Tallgrass and Four Corners Clean Energy Alliance’s presentations and know their driving points are jobs and revenues. Overall, their presentations are promotional but leaves out other important issues that Navajo residents, livestock permit holders, and land users should consider. 

At the end of my presentation, I packed up my belongings and was about to head out when a member of the CLUPC stopped me and requested for another presentation. We both walked outside to finish our conversation and the CLUPC member took my contact information. After this conversation, I was asked by the Vice-President if I would like a bowl of soup for the road. I stepped back into the chapter to get some food and the Chapter President and a man, who I didn’t get the name of but identified himself as someone who was with GreenView, asked for a future meeting with both TNA and GreenView present. At this point someone from the community vocalized that we needed to be quiet and so we stepped outside again. As the man from GreenView started speaking I noticed that the conversation was becoming confrontational. The GreenView person accused me of spreading misinformation during my presentation. To this I asked him to point out at least one thing that was misleading and then followed up that I could provide citations for everything I was sharing. Further all my maps and diagrams were either from the Department of Energy website or Tallgrass/GreenView’s presentations. The GreenView man quickly said he was not going to go through all of it (misleading points). He then asked that we have a meeting with a mediator present, and then proceeded to nominate the Cameron Chapter President. At this point, I knew that what was being proposed was not going to result in a productive and genuine discussion, so I declined. Then the Chapter President changed the focus and accused TNA of sending protestors into GreenView meetings and being disruptive. I told him, we have never done such a thing or encouraged anyone to be disruptive. A member of the community who was standing by as a witness asked the Chapter President to clarify his accusation, but the Chapter President ignored this and went back inside. The interaction outside then escalated and I said to the man representing GreenView that we would not be having a meeting. If we have a meeting with GreenView, there must be some level of respect with that request and should not be based on accusations. By this time this interaction became overwhelming. I had been verbally attacked by two proponents of hydrogen and this clearly disturbed the people inside the Chapter meeting who felt the need to close the Chapter door. I usually try to avoid the vulnerability of one-on-one interactions with industry representatives due to previous experiences. For example, I rejected an offer Tallgrass/GreenView made to me in July/August of 2023, a Tallgrass representative ask me “how much would it take for you to come work with us?” I then realized that TNA’s efforts were making an impact not only in our Navajo communities but also on companies like Tallgrass who felt they could buy my silence but since they couldn’t, they resorted to intimidation. I would like to encourage my people to please maintain K’é, it has served us well since the beginning of time. Stand together and exercise your right to vote during Chapter meetings. I hope this negative interaction doesn’t hinder or discourage Cameron residents from taking a position on hydrogen when they get to a point of feeling they are well informed, and I hope Cameron will continue to allow Tó Nizhóní Ání into your community to provide information in the future. Finally, I would like to sincerely apologize to the Cameron Chapter Officials and Cameron Community Members for disrupting your Chapter meeting, I have the upmost respect for local proceedings and governance because it is the people’s POWER.

Sincerely,