The Navajo Nation Council’s Naabik’iyati’ Committee is meeting Thursday, July 6, 2017, at 1 pm at the Department of Dine’ Education auditorium.
The PROPOSED AGENDA OF THE NAABIK’IYATI COMMITTEE includes legislation on the Grand Canyon Escalade Project, which is LEGISLATION 0293-16: An Action Relating to Law and Order, Resources and Development, Budget and Finance, and Naabik’íyáti’ Committees and Navajo Nation Council; Approving the Master Agreement for the Development of the Grand Canyon Escalade Project; Approving the Funding Application of Sixty Five Million Dollars ($65,000,000) for the Development of the Offsite Infrastructure to the Grand Canyon Escalade Project; Authorizing the Navajo Nation Hospitality Enterprise to Enter into a Development and Operating Agreement; Accepting the Approval of the Withdrawal of Land in the Bodaway/Gap Chapter; Approving a Covenant Not to Compete; Waiving Certain Provisions of 7 N.N.C. §§ 1101-1118
Each time that the Escalade legislation shows up on the Naabik’iyati Committee, Navajo Nation Council Delegate Benjamin L. Bennett, who is sponsoring Legislation 0293-16, asks to have it removed, which has always happened.
But under Council and standing committee rules, legislation that is removed from its agenda must be placed on the proposed agenda of the next meeting.
When the Naabik’iyati Committee met on June 23, 2017, the Escalade legislation was on its agenda and Delegate Bennett informed me that he would be asking to have it removed, which didn’t occur. But the Naabik’iyati Committee adjourned before they took up the Escalade bill because much of the committee’s time was spent on LEGISLATION 0194-17 to “approving an extension lease between the Navajo Nation and Salt River Project Agricultural Improvement and Power District, Arizona Public Service Company, Tucson Electric Power Company, Nevada Power Company D/B/A NV Energy, and Department of Water and Power of City of Los Angeles” instead of “approving the replacement lease.”
Navajo Nation President Russell Begay, Vice President Jonathan Nez and the four utility owners of Navajo Generating Station signed an extension lease for the coal-fired power plant July 1.
