The Naabi Committee convened at 11:30 am with 14 members and after the prayer, announcements and amending and adopting the agenda, the Naabi went to the first item on its agenda, Update report from Navajo Department of Justice on the plans to assert water rights claims to the Upper Colorado River in Arizona.
NDOJ Water Rights Attorney Stanley Pollack and two former legislative branch attorneys announced that they would be giving the water report. Pollack then explained to Naabi that portions of this water rights report, especially the Navajo Nation’s strategy, would have to be made in executive session.
Speaker Naize then asked Delegate Dwight Witherspoon if the information that he was requesting required executive session since Witherspoon asked for the report.
Witherspoon explained that he wanted a timeline and funding needed, which he thot didn’t require executive session but the tribe’s strength of its claim wud require an executive session.
Witherspoon then made a motion for an executive session, which Delegate Walter Phelps seconded.
DELEGATE LEONARD TSOSIE then added that the vote on the executive session shoyuld also include the next agenda item because it needed an executive session. “So take care of all at once.” Also raining and not pleasnt to chase the pple out, have them come back in and then chase them out again.
The next item was a report from Navajo Transitional Energy Company Board President Steve Gunderson on the “supplemental legislation No. 0305-13,” which is the $4.1 million for operational costs for NTEC to buy BHP Billiton Coal Mine and approal for NTEC to apply for a $36 million loan using the Permanent Trust Fund interest, which has a balance of $32 million.
VOTE ON EXECUTIVE SESSION
11 in favor, 2 opposed at 11:55 am
I’m in the Council south conference room, where I saw Delegates Leonard Pete, Elmer Begay, Jonathan Nez arrive and go into the meeting and so now there are 17 delegates present for the Naabi. Speaker makes 18 delegates.
I’m also going to try and download a voice recording of Naabi discussing the water rights report and voting on executive session while I wait for the door to open. According to Naabi, they directed that the executive session end about 2 p.m.
