Resource and Development Committee Regular Meeting
Tó Nizhóní Ání (TNA) provided a report in Diné to the Navajo Nation Resource and Development Committee (RDC) on hydrogen and proposed hydrogen projects on or near the Navajo Nation on Monday, July 22, 2024. More specifically, TNA reported on its educational efforts over the last three years across Navajo communities that sit along the proposed hydrogen pipeline route. Previously, the developers and Navajo Nation’s focus for hydrogen development has been “jobs” and “revenues”. While it is important to find projects that can bring in revenue, it’s equally if not more important to uplift projects that prioritize our Diné people’s right to free, prior, and informed consent, as well as community engagement that is ethical, community-driven, accountable, transparent, and promotes a just and equitable energy transition. TNA explained that there are four pressing matters of interest that communities had a right to know before being burdened with hydrogen, which are:
1) Issues with the pipeline itself, including potential safety risks and potential impacts to both human and environmental sectors alike and how much land it will require and what that means for any other future development on or near the route;
2) The transparency of the project (for example, the developer still hasn’t shared how much water will be needed) and unethical engagement with Navajo communities on the part of the hydrogen developers;
3) The water use needed during production of hydrogen and who could potentially bear that burden of giving up their water resources and;
4) The climate change factor of producing hydrogen and the fact that blue and gray hydrogen while touted as clean is a major contributor to climate change, releasing both carbon dioxide and methane gas into the atmosphere.
The response from RDC was less than satisfactory. Delegate Simpson missed the point about climate change instead choosing to emphasize the impacts of alcohol over negative climate effects. Delegate Simpson stated “…what’s actually killing our people its alcohol, its drugs…We’re not taking our energy toward that. We’re not fighting these outside companies to stop; how do we stop our Navajo people from dying of cirrhosis?… They say fossil fuels do this to our people but if you were with our people regularly… that’s what frustrates me, my energy is going toward that…”. Then Delegate Nez provided this comment, “If you could raise your hand, how many of you buy gasoline for your vehicle? Well, you bought fossil fuel, so you use it already and that’s how I get to work” and then preceded to request from his colleagues a meeting with GreenView despite RDC already having a daylong meeting with Tallgrass/GreenView back on April 22, 2024, while TNA was only given 20 minutes to present. Delegate Nez also questioned the validity of hydrogen lacking regulation and instead is leaning on the trust responsibility of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and the Department of Interior who haven’t told them hydrogen is dangerous.
While TNA highlighted potential dangers of a hydrogen pipeline and the fact that the Navajo Nation is ill-prepared for accidents along the route. There was no indication that RDC sought to remedy the fact that neither the expertise nor capacity to properly ensure monitoring and compliance currently exists on the Navajo Nation. Even in the current 2013 Navajo Nation Energy Policy, there is no mention of hydrogen. If RDC thought they could rely on the Federal government, TNA briefly showed a slide that provided a summary of the one Federal government regulation that does exist, which vague and gives a lot of control of interpretation to the companies. “This is not an exercise in tribal sovereignty,” said Nicole Horseherder, who was the main presenter on Monday. “This is another land and resource give-away to a non-Navajo company who will be free to operate the project however they please and disregard impacts on the Navajo people. This has become a Navajo Nation practice.” To date, 8 out of 13 chapters along the pipeline route have opposed the project.
A few chapters have also expressed several conflict-of-interest issues since TNA began its educational work with chapters. Some officials seem to be also employed or represent the hydrogen developers, supposedly being an impartial leader within their communities yet refusing to hear TNA’s presentation and not letting their people vote on certain hydrogen resolutions. Other entities such the Northern Agency Council have effectively blocked the information from being heard at the Council meetings for over a year, tabling it time after time until it was permanently removed from the agenda. These ethical issues were also highlighted in the report to RDC. There was no response or acknowledgement from any of the RDC members on this issue, especially from Council Delegate Rickie Nez who represents chapters within Northern Agency.
1:59:30. The remainder of the presentation is left for comments from the Navajo
Nation Resource and Development Committee and a comment from Nicole. The
RDC meeting involving hydrogen spans from 1:40:00 to 2:31:23.
TNA would like to thank RDC for recognizing the organization and allowing us to present. For information contact Jessica@tonizhoniani.org or Eleanor@tonizhoniani.org.
