Navajos use solar to pump water from CAP canal Gallup Independent June 20, 2013 By Kathy Helms Diné Bureau navajo1@gallupindependent SCOTTSDALE — Navajo Nation grassroots activists demonstrated the power of solar energy Tuesday by using a large mobile solar-powered generator to run pumps that moved water from the Central Arizona Project canal into nearby buckets and barrels. “Many Navajo families had to pen their sheep alone today on the reservation to be here in Scottsdale and show SRP that solar works,” Marshall Johnson, co-founder of To Nizhoni Ani, said. “We were able to get a little bit of water from CAP pumped into our barrels today before the police moved us, and we are going to take this back to our sheep on the reservation.” Navajos held the demonstration to send a message to owners of Navajo Generating Station that Navajo families want a transition away from a polluting coal industry on Navajo land that has powered CAP pumps for decades at the expense of residents’ land, health, water and culture, according to a news release from Black Mesa Water Coalition. “We were a small group moving a small amount of water with solar today; however, if the political willpower of the (Barack) Obama administration and SRP (Salt River Project) were to follow and transition NGS to solar, all Arizonans could have reliable water and power without pollution and without injustice,” Wahleah Johns, coalition member, said. According to sources at NGS, SRP Security Services was notified of a protest at the Scottsdale Fashion Square Mall. When they arrived, they found about 40 protesters on the southwest corner of Scottsdale and Camelback roads, most of whom appeared to be Native American. Scottsdale Police reportedly stopped the group from pumping water out of the Arizona Canal with a solar-powered pump because the vehicle they were using was illegally parked. Coalition members said Navajo community members were joined by people from across the country who are impacted similarly by coal. Collectively the groups have joined together to form the Climate Justice Alliance and last week launched the Our Power Campaign in Black Mesa; Richmond, Calif., and Detroit, Mich. “The Navajo Nation could generate thousands of megawatts of solar energy, providing thousands of jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars for the regional economy,” Jihan Gearon, BMWC executive director, said. “Our groups here today support the need for a Just Transition of NGS to renewable energy.” Donna House, a member of Diné Citizens Against Ruining Our Environment, said, “Today I saw the Central Arizona Project and it was one of the saddest days of my life. To know that people have to haul water to their homes every day, and that there are many more still living without electricity should give all of us the courage to stand for a cleaner solar transition from NGS.” Mikayla Johnson, 9, said, “I don’t understand what’s wrong with solar panels. We need to start using them. I’m from Pinon and I’ve lived in Piñon all my life. There, the air is polluted. When I have children, I would want them to live with cleaner, healthier air.” Jeff Ordower, of St. Louis, headquarters of Peabody Energy, said he will return home with the image of a coal mine right next to communities with no electricity and no running water. “That will help me continue fighting for our allies.” Dustin White, who lives outside Charleston, S.C., said he came on behalf of the Appalachian people, “to stand in solidarity with the Navajo peoples. Both of our communities are victims of the egregious actions on coal extraction that is harmful to our health and our way of life. I am taking away a better understanding of our struggle. We must build unity among folks in the wake of extreme extraction and empower our people to strive for a cleaner energy future.” Copyright © 2013 Gallup Independent 06/20/2013
Posted on: Thu, 20 Jun 2013 22:27:57 +0000
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