NAVAJO COUNCIL’S NAABIK’IYATI COMMITTEE DEBATING LEGISLATION 0122-15: An Action Relating To The Resources and Development Committee, Naa’bik’iyati’ Committee and the Navajo Nation Council; Accepting Agreements Between the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority and Pacificorp And Acknowledging the Satisfaction and Termination of a Letter of Agreement Between the Predecessor of Pacificorp and the Navajo Nation
SPONSOR, DELEGATE DAVIS FILFRED
i was with Navajo Hopi Honor Riders in Aneth area. It was raining but that didn’t deter riders.
to my right is my agent, Navahi Tribal Utility Authority Chief Executive Officer Walter Hauss.
out in aneth, over 300 families need electricity. i’m sure they’d like to have a refrigerator. this legislation would buy out Rocky Mt Power, formerly Utah Power.
WALTER HAUSS
CEO for more than 7 years and appreciate being heard by speaker and council. this agreement in 1959 for navajo to acquire power company for benefit of people. as enterprise, we have authority to provide power to people. but the agreement at the time was between chairman and council and didn’t mention NTUA but knew that tribe would eventually be in position to buy Rocky Mt Power.
next step is bring to Utah Power Service Commission and important to show that NTUA has rights to acquisition.
Aneth families waiting since past 1959. services not provided as quickly and families required to get rights of ways that is difficult.
NTUA started with no customers and now at 40,000 customers. 15,000 families without electricity and they live outside NTUA region.
providing 300 families with electricity brings up their way of life, hires six employees, provides additional services.
NTUA is not for profit enterprise. there are funds in area to provide services.
the acquisition process way too long and involved since 2011, hae negotiated all terms and owned by Warren Buffett. problem cuz not turn over to Navajo and there was gas company that didn’t want us to serve them.
March 2012 gave us list of what they wanted and when we brought this legislation they changed negotiating style which is wrong.
oil and gas compnay would remain with Rocky Mt Power until June 2019. but now they are saying oil prices down. but where were they when oil prices up and share those profits with Aneth customers.
so we ask Naabi to vote in favor and Council vote in favor and move to president.
six minute video of aneth families.
we are not asking for funding from navajo nation.
we are capable of providing public power. we are the only organization that has received an award for providing stable power.
and we are not raising the rates of Resolute. they will maintain their rates from Rocky Mt Power until june 29, 2017. and Resolute’s claim that NTUA has no provisions to raise rates is untrue.
why are multi-million company that pumps Navajo gas allowed to make navajo pple support them in this effort. morally i cannot support that.
DELEGATE BEN BENNETT
who will pick up cost of rights of ways that have been pending. Rocky Mt and jemez right of ways have not been renewed. so who pay?
DELEGATE KEE ALLEN BEGAY
i don’t want to give false hope to navajo pple that they will get power. will NTUA make the pple pay for electrical lines? and then they will ask the chapter for financial assistance. I wud fuly support if it was really true that NTUA giving power to 300 navajo families.
i sit on Navajo Oil and Gas Board. i wrote to your second in command on how could NTUA help my communities with the cost of electricity in my communities, where there are a hundred pple without power. and i never received a response.
DELEGATE LEONARD TSOSIE
i realize we have two enterprises with different goals and they kind of clash. the other thing is this does not get final approval today. it goes to council. there is Navajo Oil & Gas shareholders meeting this weekend in Phoenix. there are allegations of bad faith but move forward. and in the meantime Oil and Gas saying it will paying for portion of purchase. in a way, there was notice when first negotiated that Navajo have right of first refusal. what didn’t hear and what heard at Resources & Development is that people didn’t have process to get rights of way so had to find someone to wrk with to get ROWs. but NTUA has program to get ROWs and not free but system to help families that they currently don’t have. understand some cost to Navajo Oil and Gas. maybe at Phoenix meeting we cud talk about. If overwhelming then not want to hurt Oil and Gas. but if amount cud Oil and Gas cud handle then okay.
but move forward with understanding that the parties may need to sit down and talk and work it out. and Oil & Gas can say how much impact them. don’t think this cause Oil and Gas to bankrupt.
AND WE need to sit down with NTUA to ID homes without power. let’s figure out way to do that.
DELEGATE NELSON BEGAYE
LET’S HELP NTUA which is helping our brothers and sisters from Aneth. And our brother is a veteran of the Army. And yes, many of our pple are in need of power and we can sit down with NTUA at a later date to talk about how to provide power to our people. and there were delegates that are Navajo Oil & Gas Board members and they are not here because they decided that they would travel to Phoenix for the Navajo Oil & Gas shareholders meeting. I’m a shareholder but my first responsibility is here. and i’m going to stay here and it might until midnight by the way we are working on legislation.
