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IMPORTANT INFO ON BIG MOUNTAIN

Date: Thu, 28 Mar 2002 13:28:30

From Daniel Zapata

This seems to be the first course in stepping up the harassment of the resisters around the Big Mountain area. Tom Bedonie was arrested by Hopi Rangers near his home tonight, March 27, 2002. Tom's arraignment will be tomorrow March 28, 2002 at Hopi Court in Keams Canyon, AZ. There have been reports from families in the Big Mountain area of stepped up harassment by Hopi Tribal Rangers all night and everyone there is on high alert.

I have also included the Hopi Tribe's press release of the coal powered plant that they and energy giant, Reliant, are proposing to build. This issue needs further exploration. Reliant does have some affiliation with Enron. It is also rumored that Reliant was instrumental in creating the California Energy Crisis. If you have any information on Reliant, please let us know.


Press release

Political Holocaust continues at Big Mountain:

March 26, The Hopi Tribal Court declared Arrick Crittenden "Guilty verdict" from an all Prejudiced Jurors who some of them openly admitted they Hated Navajos! "we use to burned their (Navajo homes) since childhood! and throw rocks at them!"

In this trespass charge at Big Mountain against Arrick Crittenden has no grounds in for any of the other issues such as the ceremonial grounds that have been desecrated and destroyed by the "Politically motivated" actions and that this is his home site where he was arrested. There was no consideration in any of these issues! in which we feel, is an organized crime carried out by the Hopi Tribal Council. It is a "Hate Crime" which is to continue to terrorize our Dineh people.

Justice was put aside at this time, during this court no issues of Arrick's home site or religious grounds were allowed to be heard. We believe that Arrick was railroaded into this guilty verdict.

The case will be appealed for some of the important issues, which were not addressed and considered.

Louise Benally

(END)


 

Press Release

Hopi Tribe Agrees to Consider Joint Development of Power Plant
Potential project seen as major advance in Hopi self-sufficiency

"We are the custodians of our ancient homeland," explained Chairman Taylor.

"As good stewards of the land, only a facility with minimum impact to the environment will be acceptable to us. When we undertook to consider this project, we laid out two guiding criteria: clean air and low water use. With today's technologies, we can produce energy in a water-short environment, and we can do it cleanly."

THE HOPI TRIBE P.O. Box 123 For Immediate Release Kykotsmovi, Arizona 86039 For more information contact: Hopi.nsn.us Claire Heywood (928) 734-3283 and Janet Regner (602) 370-4836 or Richard Wheatley of Reliant Resources (713) 207-5881

KYKOTSMOVI, Arizona - The Hopi Tribe has entered into a Joint Development Agreement (JDA) with Reliant Energy (http://www.reliant.com ) Mesa Vista, LLC, a subsidiary of Reliant

Resources, Inc., of Houston, Texas. The Hopi Tribe is exploring the development of a 1,200-megawatt, 'dry-cooled', coal-fired power generating station on its reservation lands in northern Arizona.

The Hopi Reservation overlies large deposits of clean-burning, sub-bituminous, low-sulfur coal.

The agreement is an initial but significant step toward the potential development, and provides a framework for discussions, negotiations, and feasibility studies. Tribal leaders said the agreement is part of the tribe's ongoing efforts to make the Hopi Reservation a self-sufficient and economically viable homeland for current and future generations of Hopi people.

"Our vision is to make our ancestral homeland a place that will support the culture and economy of our people and generations to follow," said Tribal Chairman Wayne Taylor, Jr. "The Hopi unemployment rate is about 50 percent and our current economy cannot absorb this potential workforce. The proposed generating station has the potential to provide the operating revenue, jobs, and investment resources needed to help make our vision a reality."

The proposed project would construct a large generating facility that would be jointly-owned by the Hopi Tribe and Reliant and provide jobs and other opportunities for the Hopi people. The Tribe will exercise voting rights along with Reliant in asset management.

The Tribe initiated discussions with Reliant in 2001, seeking its involvement as a plant financing and operating partner.

"Reliant brings valuable technical expertise, electric power marketing skills, and the ability to put together the financing necessary for such a project," Chairman Taylor said.

According to Chairman Taylor, " We are working to overcome the challenges and isolation of our geographic location by utilizing new technologies for the 21st century in order to ensure a sustainable homeland for ourselves."

Chairman Taylor emphasized that any development project undertaken would have to be in keeping with the Hopi Tribe's commitment to the long-term well being of its homeland.

"We are the custodians of our ancient homeland," explained Chairman Taylor. "As good stewards of the land, only a facility with minimum impact to the environment will be acceptable to us. When we undertook to consider this project, we laid out two guiding criteria: clean air and low water use With today's technologies, we can produce energy in a water-short environment, and we can do it cleanly."

The plant design, as outlined by the Hopi and proposed by Reliant, employs state of the art control technology for minimizing unwanted air emissions. Using this technology in the plant under consideration would make it among the very cleanest coal-fired plants not only in the country, but in the world. Emissions would be far below national standards and substantially lower than those from other coal-fired plants in the Southwest.

Of major significance to the Hopi, the plant will require approximately 85-90 percent less water than the volumes normally used in a traditional water-cooled facility. This is accomplished by a technological process that employs 'dry-cooled' air condensers in combination with closed-loop water recycling.

"By limiting the water requirements for this project, we will ensure that our domestic water needs are not sacrificed to the needs of industrial development. This project will use Hopi water on the Hopi Reservation for the benefit of a Hopi-owned project," Chairman Taylor said.

Detailed studies, negotiations, and development of a definitive contractual agreements around the framework of the JDA will get underway in coming weeks and are expected to last into summer. Following these negotiations, the Hopi Tribal Council - based upon its further analysis of the project - will decide whether to enter into formal agreements and begin construction

"We're going to make sure this project truly serves the best interests of our people," said Clifford Qötsaquahu, chairman of the Hopi Energy Team. "We're first going to listen to what our people have to say about this opportunity, and only then will we make a final decision."

Reliant Resources is a leading provider of electricity and energy services to wholesale and retail customers in the U.S. and Europe. The company has more than 21,000 megawatts of power generation capacity in operation and under construction in the United States, including almost 5,200 megawatts of existing capacity in the western region of the U.S. in Arizona, Nevada, and California.

(END)

 

 

 

UPDATE ON TOM BEDONIE ARREST
from Uncle Jake

Konnichiwa everyone

Tom Bedonie was arrested on 4 charges.... reckless driving, failure to stop, fleeing a police officer, etc.
2 charges have been dropped.
He has been released.

So far there have been no further arrests, but the Rangers appear to be stopping lots of vehicles. Lots of BM people don't have insurance, driving licenses, roadworthy vehicles etc.. so people are afraid to drive about.