The pending closure of Navajo Generating Station (NGS) looms large in the minds of community leaders in Western Navajo. The power plant and Peabody coal mine provide hundreds of jobs, millions in revenue to Hopi and Navajo central governments, and economic benefits that extend to communities and the employee’s extended families. As should be, there is a growing frenzy to attempt to create alternative paths to create new job and revenue sources. It is crucial to manage the situation to avoid mistakes of the past—like outside companies taking advantage of the economic situation, providing little revenues to the host community, and not serving as a good steward or helping create a diversified economy. If not carefully orchestrated, a renewable energy economy could yield the same problems brought upon by past power plant and coal deals.
"It is crucial to manage the situation to avoid mistakes of the past—like outside companies taking advantage of the economic situation, providing little revenues to the host community, and not serving as a good steward..."
To ensure past mistakes aren’t repeated, the Grand Canyon Trust Native America Program is working to build the capacity of local organizations and help them drive the process to create utility-scale, community-supported solar development. We are partnered with reservation grassroots organizations, including Tó Nizhóní Ání, to help tribal chapters build their confidence to create community-based project strategies that identify project type, optimum scale, location, ownership requirements, and project goals. We’re first helping Lechee Chapter, which sits at ground zero, with NGS a few miles down the road.
At Lechee, we educated the community and its leadership on all facets of solar energy. With confidence gained, the community decided to move forward and recruited a compatible development partner. Currently, they’re initiating all necessary pre-development work, including feasibility studies, transmission line analysis, assessment of topography, suitable location identification, and marketing to secure a power purchase agreement. All necessary tax credits, low interest financing, and necessary partnerships will be structured during this phase.
With guidance from area Chapters, a big part of our focus is to maximize economic benefits to the local community. To do this well, we’re working with the Chapters to create the strategy and tools, such as a strong local and/or regional community development corporation, the wherewithal to actually drive the projects, manage the leases, secure the revenue, budget, and reinvest into growing their economy. This is no small task in a 110-community Nation where most of the decisions and revenues remain with the central government.
"If these cultural standard bearers are satisfied with the vision and characteristics of a project, and the central government decision makers are satisfied in the plans to move forward with best practice tools, then a true transition that benefits the community and Nation is possible."
The overriding goal of actual transition rests with gaining agreement from both the local and central governments. Success can only happen with approval and support of the local sheepherder, as well as the local grandma that holds traditional use rights to the land for her future generations. If these cultural standard bearers are satisfied with the vision and characteristics of a project, and the central government decision makers are satisfied in the plans to move forward with best practice tools, then a true transition that benefits the community and Nation is possible.
