News
Feds Deny Permits for Hydro Projects on Navajo Land, Citing Lack of Consultation With Tribes
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission announced a new policy requiring that any energy project seeking to build on tribal land must get the tribe’s approval before it will permit the project.
By Noel Lyn Smith, Wyatt Myskow
Federal officials Thursday denied preliminary permits for multiple pumped storage hydroelectric projects proposed on the Navajo Nation that would have required vast sums of water from limited groundwater aquifers and the declining Colorado River, citing a lack of support from tribal communities.