Navajos and Hopis Formally Oppose Pumped Storage Proposal Targeting Black Mesa

During the protest last week at the Navajo Nation Council Chambers, Nicole Horseherder, executive director of Tó Nizhóní Ání spoke of the devastating decisions being made by the Navajo government. Photo Dine' CARE.

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Groups formally oppose pumped storage proposal targeting Black Mesa

FLAGSTAFF, Arizona – 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.

Contact:
Adrian Herder, Tó Nizhóní Ání adrian@tonizhoniani.org
Robyn Jackson, Diné C.A.R.E. robyn.jackson@dine-care.org 

Vernon Masaysva, Black Mesa Trust  kuuyi@aol.com

The Algorithms of the Gatekeepers -- Testimony at the United Nations

Consejo Indio Exterior's delegate describes the doctrine of genocide in America and Palestine
during testimony at the United Nations. (Screenshot Censored News)

The Algorithms of the Gatekeepers -- Testimony at the United Nations 

By Brenda Norrell, Censored News, July 29, 2026

"History was written and taught by the invader, it is their history," the delegate of Consejo Indio Exterior, told the United Nations Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Indigenous human rights defenders from the Pacific, South Africa and Colombia spoke on protecting Indigenous rights in the oceans, protection from artificial intelligence's surveillance, and upholding Indigenous heritage and identity, during the week long session in Geneva.

"History was written and taught by the invader, it's their history and therefore it's false and inconclusive. That's why it's necessary to work from a different assumption, the word of Indians," said the delegate from Consejo Indio Exterior.

"Keep the Saddle and the Horse," An Armenian Metaphor at the United Nations

'Keep the Saddle and the Horse,' An Armenian Metaphor Shared at the United Nations

By Brenda Norrell, Censored News, July 25, 2026

GENEVA -- Sharing a metaphor of the horse, salt and saddle, the Armenian Association told the United Nations Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples that  Indigenous Peoples are an irreplaceable part of human heritage.

"They are the gatekeepers of languages, knowledge, and ancestral relations with land, which enrich cultural diversity for all of humankind," said the Armenian delegation whose people have survived genocide and ethnic cleansing.

Over the centuries, many peoples have handed down deep but simple knowledge, the delegation said during the week-long session.

Mohawk Nation News 'Optimistic Pessimit Reject Quebec's Advances'

 

OPTIMISTIC PESSIMIT REJECT QUEBEC’S ADVANCES

Posted on July 24, 2026 by Kan1enkehaka

 https://mohawknationnews.com/blog/2026/07/24/optimistic-pessimit-reject-quebecs-advances/

MNN. JULY 24, 2026. The Innu of Pessamit Labrador rejected a proposed $2.5 billion agreement with Hydro-Québec and the colonial Quebec government in a July 2026 referendum, with 63% of Innu voters opposing the deal. The Innu of Pessamit have spoken. They are authorizing band council Chief René Simon to not sign the agreement.”

The multi-billion dollar pact was intended to settle longstanding land and legal disputes over historical infrastructure in the Côte-Nord region. “The Innu of Pessamit rejected the more than $2.5 billion agreement with Hydro-Québec and the Quebec government.”, according to CTV News. However, the Innu voted it down because they were suppose to agree to never legally stopping future energy projects on their ancestral territory “The agreement included the payment of more than $2.535 billion to the community over 50 years.”, as reported by CTV News. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Following the vote, Hydro-Québec stated they respect the democratic decision and remain open to further dialogue “The people have said no, and there are other ways to develop energy in Quebec without breaking up Innu land.”, according to The Canadian Press. [1, 2]

Creation made us to live forever. So we partnered with the great spud. Hey Innu of Pessimit, we are proud of what you did. You could set a trend right from the east of onowarekeh turtle island to the west of our land, just like Tom Connors did when he sang about the almighty spud.