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Resolution of The Forgotten People

Dine' Be'lina'na'hil naa
(Dine Rebuilding Communities)
The Forgotten People Dine Be 'lina 'na 'hi! naa supports the decision of the Navajo Nation
Resources Committee and respectfully requests the Intergovernmental Relations
Committee direct the Navajo Nation Council hold a Special Session to stop the Hopi
Tribe's proposed plan to conduct experimental carbon sequestration and collect mineral
data for future development in the Black Mesa basin southeast of Cow Springs on Hopi
Partition Lands. The Navajo Nation has jointly held sub-surface rights to the land and
aquifers and this project was approved without informing the Navajo Nation, Navajo
Nation Resources Committee, Navajo Nation Council, the Navajo and Hopi people and
without conducting a NEP A analysis, EIS, ecological risk analysis, hazard identification,
exposure assessment of pipeline leakage and plumes, evaluation of the vast quantities of
water needed to generate energy for capturing and compression and the long-term risk of
transporting heavy metals, endangering public health, safety and the environment

WHEREAS:

1. The Forgotten People Dine Be 'lina 'na 'hi! naa is a grassroots organization
representing individuals living within the communities on the western portion of
the Navajo Nation that have been affected by the former Bennett Freeze and is
dedicated to rebuilding communities, environmental justice, preservation of the
environment; and

2. The Forgotten People Dine Be 'lina 'na 'hi! naa is organized under the laws of the
Navajo Nation and is incorporated on the Navajo Nation under the Navajo
Corporation Code; and

3. The Forgotten People Dine Be 'lina 'na 'hi! naa is vested the responsibility to
provide and address concerns of the people within its communities with respect to
local matters consistent with Navajo law, is a direct democracy that makes
decisions by a vote of the People and governs with responsibility and
accountability to community membership including people living in the Black
Mesa region; and
4. The Forgotten People Dine Be 'lina 'na 'hi! naa desires to work with the Navajo
Nation, Navajo Nation Chapters, Navajo Nation Council to provide and address
concerns of the people within its communities and promote, protect, preserve the
interest and general welfare including the health and safety of the people and
property; and

5. The Forgotten People Dine Be 'lina 'na 'hi! naa is concerned that the Hopi Tribe
approved an agreement with Salt River Project as the lead applicant; Tri-State
Generation and Transmission, Tucson Electric Power and Peabody Coal
Company to conduct experimental carbon sequestration and collect mineral data
in the Black Mesa basin, inside Hopi Partition Land, near the uranium tailings
dump site southeast of Cow Springs; and

6. The proposed plan calls for using vast quantities of water they don't have to inject
C02 from regional coal-fired power plants, 9,000 feet into the earth and a team of
scientists has been assembled to conduct exploratory drilling; and

7. The Forgotten People Dine Be'lina'na'hil naa supports the Navajo Nation's
Resources Committee's unanimous approval of resolution opposing the Hopi
Tribe's plan to conduct carbon capture sequestration in the Black Mesa basin on
Hopi Partition Land without informing the Navajo Nation Resources Committee,
Navajo Nation Council and the Navajo and Hopi people; and

8. The Forgotten People Dine Be 'lina 'na 'hi! naa affirms the Navajo Nation's joint
rights to the sub-surface minerals and aquifers which requires the Navajo Nation
be a party to the agreement but the Navajo Nation, the Navajo Nation Resources
Committee, the Navajo Nation Council, the Navajo and Hopi People were never
informed about the agreement and the risks; and

9. The Forgotten People Dine Be 'lina 'na 'hi! naa recognizes the efforts of the
Intertribal COALition, Black Mesa Trust, and other organizations and individuals
that are joining forces to stop the proposed plan to conduct carbon sequestration
and collect mineral resource data for future development; and

10. Carbon sequestration is energy intensive. Coal with carbon sequestration is

estimated to cost $10 to $15 Billion per gigawatt, without considering the costs of
mining, processing and transporting the coal, cleaning up after mining, and
isolating the arsenicals, mercury, and radionucleotides released from burning
coal; and

11. Carbon sequestration can trigger earthquakes and seismic activity due to fluid
pressure and volume changes which can cause stress on the rock; and migration of
the C02 through the cracks, fractures and faults in the rock that can cause
leakages, plumes and man-made earthquakes; and

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 12. Public interest studies show the injection of C02 into the aquifer has the potential
to cause trigger seismicity, reactivate faults, compromise seals in wells, and cause
acidification and gross contamination of drinking water aquifers. It may cause
injury, death, seismic activity, acidification of water and ecosystem damage and is
being contemplated without a National Environmental Policy Act (NEP A)
analysis, Environmental Impact Study (EIS), ecological risk analysis, hazard
identification, and evaluation of the vast quantities of water needed to generate
energy for capturing and compression; and

13. Communities in Black Mesa and surrounding areas rely on the Navajo-aquifer,
and local residents living in the region are suffering adverse effects from Peabody
Coal Company's coal slurry pipeline, living without piped water and sanitation,
their springs, wells and year-round water resources run dry, sinkholes forming,
and increased frequency of underground coal fires; and

14. The Forgotten People Dine Be 'lina 'na 'hil naa opposes solving climate change by
conducting experimental carbon sequestration in the Black Mesa basin; and

15. The Forgotten People Dine Be 'lina 'na 'hi! naa is opposed to the Hopi Tribe's plan
to conduct carbon sequestration and respectfully requests the Intergovernmental
Relations Committee direct the Navajo Nation Council hold a Special Session to
stop the proposed carbon sequestration and collection of mineral data in the Black
Mesa basin.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT:

The Forgotten People Dine Be 'lina'na'hil naa supports the decision of the Navajo Nation
Resources Committee and respectfully requests the Intergovernmental Relations
Committee direct the Navajo Nation Council hold a Special Session to stop the Hopi
Tribe's proposed plan to conduct experimental carbon sequestration and collect mineral
data in the Black Mesa basin southeast of Cow Springs on Hopi Partition Lands. The
Navajo Nation has jointly held sub-surface rights to the land and aquifers and this project
was approved without informing the Navajo Nation, Navajo Nation Resources
Committee, Navajo Nation Council, the Navajo and Hopi people and without conducting
a NEP A analysis, EIS, ecological risk analysis, hazard identification, exposure
assessment of pipeline leakage and plumes, evaluation of the vast quantities of water
needed to generate energy for capturing and compression and the long-term risk of
transporting heavy metals, endangering public health, safety and the environment.

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CERTIFICATION:

I hereby certify that the foregoing resolution was duly considered at a duly called meeting
of The Forgotten People Dine Be 'lina 'na 'hil naa, Navajo Nation (~zona), at wEich a
quorum was present and that same was passed by a vote of . % 'J in favor, <:; ....•
opposed and - G - abstained, this ~~ day off\U>"5\6t , 2010.

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Seconded: \\"\}Q. is\c...L\?"~\.!..!\f'~v~ _

Don YelloWIj{an t'u¢'Y rr or(

President Sec'y/Treasnrer

Clarence RaphaJ1'
Board of Director

CarlOSDea
~ ----
Public Relations Coordinator