Summer 2023 Update
Here's what we've been working on for Spring/Summer 2023:
We launched a website - littlecoloradoriver.org. Please check it out and share!
We introduced the LCR Initiative at Hopi Community Service Administrator (CSA) meetings in:
Walpi
Yuuwelo Paaki
We will be meeting with the Hopi Water & Energy Committee and Land Commission to discuss how tribal consent can be added to the rules that govern dam permitting on tribal lands.
We’ve been working with communities, tribal governments, and legal experts to change FERC dam permitting rules to require tribal consent and consultation.
Members of Save the Confluence (STC) met with Navajo Nation delegates in Window Rock to talk about the forthcoming legislation to designate the Confluence as a Sacred Site.
STC sent letters to each Navajo Nation delegate asking for support for the Sacred Site designation.
We secured a supporting resolution from Leupp Chapter for the Sacred Site designation.
Latest on the Big Canyon Dam proposal along the LCR
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has not yet approved the developer’s preliminary permit for the Big Canyon Dam just 5 miles upstream of the Confluence along the Little Colorado River. This summer, Save the Confluence asked the developer, Pumped Hydro Storage LLC. The developer ignored this request, despite the fact that over 87,000 have signed a petition to cancel the project.
Please sign & share the Save The Confluence petition requesting the cancellation of this destructive project.
Black Mesa Pumped Storage Hydro Proposals
In November 2022, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) announced that it had received applications from Nature and People First, a Massachusetts-based company organized by a French entrepreneur, for preliminary permits for three proposed hydroelectric projects on the rims of Black Mesa and across the lands below, near Kayenta, Arizona, on Navajo Nation land.
The three proposed hydroelectric projects aim to generate electricity by recirculating water between high-elevation upper reservoirs and lower reservoirs. According to the applications, the projects would require huge amounts of water from the Colorado River, San Juan River, or local groundwater sources to fill the reservoirs and replace water lost to evaporation. The commission will now consider whether to grant or deny the preliminary permit applications for the Black Mesa dams. Decisions like this typically take six months to a year and sometimes much longer.
In response to the proposals, several Navajo Nation chapters passed resolutions in opposition. These include: Bodaway-Gap, Dennehotso, Lechee, Kayenta, Hard Rock, and Navajo Mountain.
Reforming dam permitting rules to require tribal consultation and consent
Recent hydroelectric dam proposals on the Navajo Nation highlight a major oversight in federal regulations: tribal consultation and consent are not required in the early stages of dam permitting.
Click here to read more about the problem and how tribes and Native communities can work together to fix it.
Save the Confluence Families Cookout Saturday, September 23rd
Save the date for a community cookout and campout near Gap with the STC families. Dinner and breakfast will be provided. RSVP to Delores Wilson-Aguirre, Save The Confluence, dwaguirre18@gmail.com.
“Frequently Asked Questions” document
Do you have questions about the LCR Initiative or want to involve others? Please see these Frequently Asked Questions.
The LCR Initiative will send periodic updates about the Initiative’s progress. Please let us know if you have questions, concerns, or feedback! Email us at: info@littlecoloradoriver.org