i;\p (()ot 4Ii

J rA December

26, 2011

—‘. IMi H 1i Jared Blumenfeld Regional Administrator

[ US EPA—Region

9 75 Hawthorne Street

WAS1i

I San Francisco,

CA 94105

______ Dear Mr. Blumenfeld:

F Founded

in 1998, Black Mesa Trust (BMT)

is an Indigenous

Hopi grassroots, environmental education

and advocacy organization serving

the Native peoples

of Black Mesa, and educating

the world about messages

of water,

It was incorporated

as

a non-profit organization

by its all-Hopi Board

of Directors

in 1998. BMT exists

to safeguard, preserve

and honor the land and waters

of the Black Mesa region;

to protect
the N-Aquifer upon which Hopi and Navajo people depend;

to secure their cultural, economic,

and social well-being through

the education

of youth; and
to harness lessons

of traditional knowledge

with Western science
and technology

to insure
the security

of their ancestral land. In pursuit

of these goals,

it is imperative

that BMT communicate effectively

and passionately

to Department

of Interior (DOt) Secretary

Ken Salazar
and his key staff the profound concerns regarding

the Navajo Generating Station (NGS) and the Central Arizona Project (CAP) which

it supports.

The immediate

and long-term health and well-being

of thousands

of our Hopi and Navajo people—their families
and children, cultures
and future—depend

upon thoughtful

and urgent response

to issues that today impact
the continued operation

of NGS. Coal, water, and land leases essential

to NOS operations

will soon expire. New, equitable,

and environmentally responsible relationships between

the tribes and the owners

of NGS and CAP must be developed
even

as we move forward toward greener technologies

and energy paradigms.

The sovereignty

and economic security

of the Hopi Tribe and Navajo Nation, along with the lives

of millions who depend

on CAP water, and those who live and work

in the Southwest

are very much

at stake. BMT

is convinced

that
to secure leases and contracts essential

to the immediate future

of NGS and CAP operations, Secretary Salazar
and hi staff must understand

and respond

to the issues,
and proposals
BMT

is prepared

to articulate. Chief among these are: The historic
and long-term health, water, and economic harms

to Hopi and Navajo people caused

by Black Mesa coal mines and NGS, which

is the sole customer

of Kayenta Mine coal.

ECVED•ActionsoftheOfficeofSurfaceMiningReclamationandEnforcement(OSMRE)thathaveallowedminingoperationstocontaminatesurfaceandgroundwater,anddiminishflowsofspringsandtotalsurfacewatersavailableforHopifarms,anddestroyedhundredsofarchaeologicalburialsites,andiscausinglandtosink.•BMT’sobjectionstoongoingfederalsubsidiesfortheCAP,especiallywhenthefullcostsofsupplyingcheapwatertoArizonaisbeingsubsidizedbythelives,lands,andwatersofHopiandNavajopeople;•BMT’sobjectionstoDOl’s2004ArizonaWaterSettlementActwithLowerBasinArizonatribesandthetyingofthatagreementtocontinuedoperationsofNGS;•BMT’srequestforDOlSecretaryleadershipinassessingandimplementingcleanenergyandothereconomicdevelopmentprojectstoreplacetheinevitablelossofrevenuesassociatedwithproposedchangesinenergypolicyandoperations,andinpartialeconomicjusticeforirreparableharmcausedbyBlackMesaminesandNGS;and•BMT’sconvictionthatthebestwaytoaddressthemultipleissuesfacingNGSistoexpandthedebatebeyondthereductionofnitrogenoxidesandtoproceedinsteadtothedevelopmentofAmericanenergypolicythatwillbringreason,stability,andpredictabilitytoNGSandCAPoperationsthroughanewregionalenergyequationinwhichsolarenergyandnaturalgas,incombinationwithhydropower,equalsbase-loadenergyneededtooperateCAP.ToinsureDOI’saddressoftheseconcernsandproposals,BMTwillarrangeforitsExecutiveDirectorVernonMasayesvaandMarshallJohnson,founderofTo’NizoniAni,aNavajograssrootorganization,tomeetone-on-onewithSecretaryKenSalazar.TheywillsharewiththeSecretarytheconcernsofthepeopleofBlackMesaaswellastheproposedsolutionstoissuesaffectingNGSandCAP.TheywilldescribeDOlactionsneededtoprotectthehealthandwell-beingofBlackMesapeoplesaffectedbyNGSaswellasenergyinitiativesthatwillcreateonBlackMesaamodelofresponsibleenergydevelopment,onethatwillprovideeconomicsecurityandequalitytotheirgovernmentsasdetailedinBMT’sColoradoPlateauCleanEnergyInitiative.Inthemonthsprecedingthiscriticalmeeting,BMTanditsallies,includingGrandCanyonTrust(GCT),Nativeenvironmentalorganization,andBMT’sCircleofAdvisors,willcreateapowerpointpresentationandwhitepapersummarizinganddetailingtheconcernsandproposalsinpreparationformeetingswiththe.Amongthosewhowillparticipateare:•JoeBrowder,Washington-basedconsultantwithaccesstoDOlandWhiteHouse,Mr.BrowderassistedwithtitletransferoffederalcoalreservestoNavajoNationinthe1980s;WebelievethissetaprecedentfortransferoffederalgasreservestoHopiandNavajo.•RogerClark,DirectorAirQualityProgram,GrandCanyonTrust(Flagstaff,AZ),keyadvisorandadvocateinclosingMohaveGeneratingStation;•AlQoyawyma,RetiredDirector,SaltRiverProjectEnvironmentalSection.Anengineer

of Hopi descent; • Robbie Robinson, Founder

and CEO, Center

for Applied Research, (Denver,
CO) economist specializing

in tribal transmission

lines negotiations;

and . Terry Tamminen, Former Director, California
EPA, top staff assistant

to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger,

advisor

on climate change
and global warming

to Western Governors Association. To insure further
the effectiveness

and success

of these meetings,
BMT will first arrange

for

a meeting
with
an environmental
issues advisor

to President Obama, thus emphasizing

to DOt the importance

the White House accords

our concerns

and proposals. In addition, BMT will seek endorsement

of efforts from prominent environmentalists

and environmental organizations including

the Natural Resources Defense Council,

and Water Keepers, of which BMT

is
a member. BMT will also seek support from Hopi and Navajo Nation political leaders, Governors

of New Mexico, Arizona
and California,

and

a study team working

to come

to

a consensus

on the best way to reduce nitrogen oxides from NGS. With the support

of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region

9, we can

in short order and for the long haul make

a difference.

We can be effective change agents

in safeguarding, preserving and honoring

the land, waters
and cultures

of Black Mesa;

in harnessing traditional knowledge

and Western technology

to create sustainable

and responsible energy policy and operations

on Black Mesa, and

in articulating

for Secretary Salazar
and other key DOt staff, the necessary reforms
and proposals

for

a new energy development

and management paradigm

on Black Mesa, Marshall,

Joe and

I would like
to visit with you within the next two (2) months

to present

a “winwin” resolutin

to NGS issues. Sincrely, Vernon Masayesva Former Chairman

of the Hopi Tribe Founder

and Director

of BMTrn