[Thanks to Peter Coyote for sending this to his list.]

Friends,

We tend to forget that the suppression and exploitation of Native people continues unabated to this day. Here is a record of a so-called “public - input” meeting on the Navajo reservation recently. After strip mining their sacred mountains and lowering the water-table over 80 feet using drinking water to send coal to LA in a water-slurry, the Black Mesa project was finally stopped by the struggle of Native people. However they are dealing now with poisoned aquifers, and 30 years of pollution and neglect. My friend Vernon Masayesva, a traditional Hopi elder sent me this. He is looking for support in the on-going struggle against the ruination of the Hopi/Navajo reservations in the name of white ideas of progress. The electricity we burn in our homes to run our lights, tv’s DVD’s, computers and games comes in part from projects like Black Mesa. Where the average white person uses 50 gallons of water per person a day, the average Hopi uses 5. Not only is this a problem of our own wasteful way of living, but also of the Hopi/Navajo lack of power to defend themselves. As part of the probllem, the least we can do is to help them in their struggle. If any of you are moved to help you could contact Vernon at:

Vernon Masayesva
Black Mesa Trust
PO Box 33
Kykotsmovi, AZ 86039
United States of America or by e-mail at: kuuyi@aol.com
Black Mesa EIS meeting one for the record
By Kathy Helms

Dine Bureau

Wednesday, Janaury 3, 2007

WINDOW ROCK — To call Tuesday night’s meeting on Peabody Western coal Co.’s Black Mesa Project a public hearing, “is really inadequate,” Navajo Nation Council Delegate Amos Johnson told federal officials.

But that wasn’t the only complaint in an evening that didn’t get off to a good start and broke up just short of descending into verbal chaos.

The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement’s initial hearing on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Black Mesa Project was set to begin at 6 p.m. at Navajo Nation Museum.

However, because Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley Jr. gave tribal employees the day off to mark the passing of former U.S. President Gerald Ford, the museum was closed.

And though it was a national day of mourning for federal employees as well, Calvin Johnson of C-aquifer for Dine said the last word his group had was that the OSM meeting would go forth as planned because it already had been advertised in the Federal Register.

At the last minute, Tuesday evening’s meeting was moved to Day’s Inn in St. Michael’s and a person placed at the museum to advise of the change in location.

Johnson (Black Mesa/Forest Lake) was the only delegate out of 88 to attend, and afterward chastised OSM for the way it was conducted.

The audience was invited to watch a slide show recorded in the Navajo language about the proposed project described in the more than 700-page EIS, Afterward, those wishing to comment were asked to sit at a table sectioned off in a corner of the room and speak into a microphone while a court reporter recorded their comments for OSM’s record.

“Just listening to a Video and making our comments into a recorder is really not a public hearing,” Johnson said. “I wish it would have been more formal.

“The Video in Navajo, there were some words that were not properly translated and then they were being cut off right in the middle of some of the sentences. They were incomplete,” he added.

Richard Holbrook, Southwest Branch chief for OSM, asked Johnson whether he noted those issues on his comment form. “We want to be sure that comments like these get into the record,” he said.

“The purpose of the meeting is for us to gather your comments. The purpose of the meeting is not a forum for having a meeting for talking to the other people in the group. It’s to talk to us, and that’s why we set it up this way.

“We felt that a little less formal atmosphere might be more conducive to gathering comments from people,” Holbrook said.

Andy Bessler of Sierra Club in Flagstaff asked the estimated 20 to 30 people in attendance, “How many people here would like to be able to address OSM formally?” He motioned for a show of hands.

Holbrook, his tone more firm, responded, “I would like for you ALL to address OSM formally, and that’s why we have a court reporter who is transcribing comments.

A woman in the audience said her concern would be “the retranslation of what people actually said. It may not be the whole picture of what a person said. If it’s in a public forum, then everybody hears.”

Holbrook assured the audience their comments would be recorded verbatim.

Nicole Horseherder of To Nizhoni Ani asked Holbrook, “How many public hearings have you had like this?” Holbrook said OSM has not in the past used that particular format, but said it is now widely used by the Forest Service and is becoming a common format for the Bureau of Land Management.

Norman Brown of Dineh Bidziil Coalition tried to explain that something had been lost through the change in process.

“I guess from a cultural perspective, the life that we live, how we communicate and how we share as a community is being removed from how we conduct our business. I think that’s what a lot of people are saying here tonight.

“By not allowing our cultural way of life on our land, it’s difficult for some of us to understand why that cultural component is not there,” Brown said.

Holbrook said OSM put the meeting format before both Navajo and Hopi tribal governments and solicited their comments and concerns. “They felt this was a perfectly acceptable way to conduct these meetings,” he said.

Brown asked him, “Do you have the authority to change the format on how these meetings are for the next 10 days?”

Holbrook responded, “Yes, I do.”

Brown countered. “Are you willing to …” but was interrupted by Holbrook.

“No, I’m not. We’re going to continue with the format that we have right now,” he said.

Brown asked him, “Can you explain why we’re not allowed to hear each other?” (when commenting)

Holbrook told him, “You have plenty of opportunities to discuss these things amongst yourselves in format. It’s my understanding there was a meeting earlier today for that.”

Brown said, “So, our cultural concerns as a community are really not important to …”

“Of course they are! But not in the context of this meeting,” Holbrook said, once again cutting Brown off in mid sentence.

Fern Benally of Black Mesa told Holbrook, “It seems like based on the presentation and all these posters here, that you’ve already decided what you’re going to do, and you’re not going to listen to us at all. It makes me mad.”

Holbrook told her no decision has been made, however, Benally continued. “You’ve exploited us since the beginning and you’re going to continue to do so,”

“I’m sorry you feel that way,” Holbrook replied.

“I do feel that way!” Benally said. “And that really pisses me off, because you’ve been like that with the (public scoping) hearing a couple years ago, and you continue to have that attitude. I do not like it. It seems like you, by yourself, decided this whole thing is going to be the way you want it to.”

Holbrook said the purpose of the meeting is to learn, “and yes, you’re right. It is to our benefit to have these meetings the way they are because we need to get from you, your comments.”

Benally disagreed. “You’re just trying to have these meetings to make you look good, that’s all you’re doing it for.”

Dineh Bidziil’s Brown asked John Stucker, a non-Navajo tribal employee, “Do you agree with this format? Do you agree it’s healthy for our people? Do we have a point here or not?”

But Holbrook interrupted, drowning out Brown and Stucker. “We have answered that question and we appreciate your comment.”

Brown said, “No, I’m talking to him.” (Stucker)

“I know you’re talking to him, and I’m answering your question!” Holbrook said. “I think you ought to take your comment and get it onto the record. The purpose of this meeting is not to carry on a dialogue about the merits of this project or the merits of the way we are conducting this meeting.

“We know you are distressed — you in particular — and others here, with the format of the meeting,” Holbrook said to Brown. “We are aware of that. Thank you very much for making those comments.”

Brown tried to interject, however, Holbrook’s voice was louder. “There is no purpose to carry on this dialogue,” he said.

Calvin Johnson
PO Box 5527
Leupp, AZ 86035

-- JockGill