Activism is continuing to take center stage on the Navajo Reservation. Last Tuesday, Dooda Desert Rock, one of the groups opposing plans for the $3 billion Desert Rock Power Plant, hosted political dignitaries from the state of New Mexico. Staff from the offices of Gov. Bill Richardson and Secretary of the Environment Ron Curry visited the Desert Rock site, southwest of Farmington, and met with tribal elders. The meeting included tours of the Desert Rock drill site and the adjacent BHP Navajo Mine. 

Prior to the event, Pauline Gilmore, a Navajo elder, explained hopes that Richardson could persuade Navajo President Joe Shirley Jr. to consider alternatives to the plant. “Now is the time to impress upon our elected leaders the severity of the threat we face,” she said. “Our health and homeland are at risk from a third massive coal-fired power plant in the Four Corners area.”

In the lead-up to the visit, Gov. Richardson has expressed “grave concern” about the potential adverse environmental impacts of Desert Rock and increasing damage to the Four Corners’ airshed.

– Will Sands