Navajo Council Delegate Mel Begay: Sue the U.S. for failing to uphold its 1962 agreement to have tribal farm completed

Navajo Nation legislative staff sit behind Navajo Agricultural Products Industry General Manager Tsosie Lewis, Board Vice Chairperson Irvin Chavez, private attorney Paul Frye, and Washington D.C., lobbyist Paul Moorehead as NAPI reports on outstanding issues related to incomplete tribal farm during Naabik'iyati Committee meeting at Council chambers on July 10, 2014. Sitting in front of NAPI is Navajo Council Delegate Walter Phelps. Photo by Marley Shebala. (Please provide proper photo credit when reusing photo.)

Navajo Nation legislative staff sit behind Navajo Agricultural Products Industry General Manager Tsosie Lewis, Board Vice Chairperson Irvin Chavez, private attorney Paul Frye, and Washington D.C., lobbyist Paul Moorehead as NAPI reports on outstanding issues related to incomplete tribal farm during Naabik’iyati Committee meeting at Council chambers on July 10, 2014. Sitting in front of NAPI is Navajo Council Delegate Walter Phelps. Photo by Marley Shebala. (Please provide proper photo credit when reusing photo.)

Navajo Agricultural Products Industry has presented a very controversial report regarding Navajo Indian Irrigation Project, the tribal farm. Included in NAPI’s report is how the federal government has failed to uphold its 1962 word on providing federal funds to complete NIIP by 1976, which has cost the tribe $4 billion in water.

DELEGATE EDMUND YAZZIE
Is Congress pushing Fort Wingate legislation onto “Navajo Land Consolidation and Archeological Protection Act” legislation?
I met with Congressman Lujan about sponsoring “Navajo Land Consolidation and Archeological Protection Act” and then Fort Windgate legislation in next election.
I’m hearing about Navajo veterans living on Fort Wingate land that is going to Pueblo of Zuni.

NAVAJO AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS INDUSTRY REPRESENTATIVE PAUL FRYE, PRIVATE ATTORNEY
The former tribal elected officials that made this deal shouldn’t be criticized. They negotiated for ten years with several parties.
I hope that from this meeting that there is a letter from Speaker Pro Temp Bates and President Shelly for the introduction of “Navajo Land Consolidation and Archeological Protection Act”
I was home and I saw this sign, “Your San Juan Chama Project dollars at work” and I was watering my lawn with San Juan Chama Project water.

NAPI WASHINGTON, D.C., LOBBYIST PAUL MOOREHEAD
It’s the rule and not the exception that large settlement like “Navajo Land Consolidation and Archeological Protection Act” takes time and so getting introduced as soon as possible is needed.
US Office of Management and Budgets is within White House and OMB is ready to request federal dollars to finish NIIP and have all questions answered by Team. And so until “Navajo Land Consolidation and Archeological Protection Act” is introduced, the White House/OMB/Interior will not take this issue seriously.

DELEGATE MEL BEGAY
This issue has been on table for years. And the $554 million settlement of the federal government mismanagement of royalties from tribal oil and gas didn’t happen until the tribe filed a lawsuit. And so I support the filing of a lawsuit against the U.S. for its failure to uphold its agreement to provide federal funds to complete NIIP.
So i direct Navajo Justice Department to prepare for a lawsuit.

The Naabik’iyati Committee votes 14 in favor, 0 opposed to accept report from Navajo Agricultural Products Industry, which included Delegate Mel Begay withdrawing his directive to Navajo Justice Department to sue U.S. over Navajo Indian Irrigation Project.

 

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