Hopi awarded more than $4 million for water infrastructure project
Daniel Herrera CarbajalICT
The Hopi Tribe has been awarded more than $4 million for a solar-powered microgrid to advance its energy and water independence.The funds, awarded from the Department of Energy, will be used to build a 250-kilowatt, solar-powered microgrid to power two wells at the unelectrified Side Rock Well Field located on the Hopi Reservation in northeast Arizona.The wells will deliver water to the villages of Upper and Lower Moenkopi via a pipeline that is currently under construction.'It'll be bringing much-needed water to the village of Moencopi on the Hopi Reservation,' Hopi tribal council representative Leroy Shingoitewa told ICT.Two Arizona Democratic senators, Ruben Gallego and Mark Kelly, announced the news.'I'm excited to announce that the Hopi Tribe has been awarded over $4 million to help secure its energy and water future,' said Gallego. 'Clean water is vital for community health and economic development, and this innovative project will ensure that some of the most remote parts of the Hopi Reservation have reliable access for years to come.''This project means Hopi families will have a steady, reliable water source,' said Kelly. 'By using solar power to run these wells, they're lowering costs and making sure the community has the water it needs for years to come.'The addition of a microgrid is part of a larger, ongoing project – Side Rock Water Supply project, which aims to provide a reliable water source for the Hopi Tribe.A microgrid is a self-contained electrical network that can work independently from the main power grid or alongside it. The new Hopi microgrid will work independently from its main power source.But the Upper and Lower Moencopi villages are disconnected from the rest of Hopi Tribe. The Hopi Tribe is surrounded by the Navajo Nation, but the Moencopi village is separated from the main Hopi land. Shingoitewa told ICT that this leaves Moencopi far from the main Hopi water supply.'We live on the western portion of the reservation approximately 55 miles away from the Hopi tribal headquarters, and we really are kind of sitting on an island outside of the main Hopi Reservation,'Shingoitewa told ICT.The Moencopi village has wells, but the water produced from them is not 'adequate,' said Shingoitewa.According to the U.S. Department of Energy, the current water source is now insufficient for community needs.'With the money that's now gonna be available for the wells to bring water here, we will have the opportunity to provide more water to meet the needs of our people here in our village … and also for the future,' said Shingoitewa.The fight for water is ongoing for tribal nations, with many tribes still fighting for their water rights in courts.Senators Kelly and Gallego introduced the Northeastern Arizona Indian Water Rights Settlement Act of 2025, which was referred to the Senate Indian Affairs Committee. A version of the act also has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives. Both houses of Congress would need to pass the legislation, which would ratify and fund the largest Indian water rights settlement in the country. It would secure water rights for the Navajo Nation, Hopi Tribe and the San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe.
The Northeastern Arizona Indian Water Rights Settlement Agreement will settle the three tribes' claims to the main stem of the Colorado River, the Little Colorado River, and relevant groundwater sources in Arizona. It will guarantee the tribes' access to over 56,000 acre-feet of Colorado River water, with specific groundwater rights and protections.The agreement also requires the Hopi Tribe and Navajo Nation to leave 17,050 acre-feet per year of Arizona Upper Basin water in Lake Powell for the first 20 years.'This is a truly historic moment for our Tribe and for our sister tribes. Clean, running water and permanent homes are luxuries our people have gone too long without,' said San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe President Carlene Yellowhair in a press release. 'This legislation will ensure we have these basic human rights now and into the future. We are grateful to Senator Kelly, Senator Gallego, Congressman Ciscomani, Congressman Stanton, and the entire Arizona Delegation for their continued support for this important legislation.'
Our stories are worth telling. Our stories are worth sharing. Our stories are worth your support. Contribute today to help ICT carry out its critical mission. Sign up for ICT's free newsletter.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
35 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Capitol Hill Republicans shoot down Mass. lawmaker's effort to subpoena Elon Musk
House Republicans foiled an attempt to force tech titan Elon Musk to appear before Congress to explain what Democrats called his 'reckless' tenure helming the Department of Government Efficiency. U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch, D-8th District, the acting ranking Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, led the charge during a hearing on Thursday. He argued in an opening statement that Musk's brief, but impactful, tenure at the quasi-governmental agency will 'continue to have devastating consequences for America for years, possibly decades, to come,' the South Boston lawmaker said during an opening statement. Watch: U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch's opening statement The Democratic gambit came as the influential committee was set to take up the use of artificial intelligence across the federal government. But lawmakers could not 'sit here, however, and have the traditionally bipartisan conversation about federal IT modernization without acknowledging the fact that the Trump administration, Elon Musk, and DOGE are leading technology initiatives that threaten the privacy and security of all Americans and undermine our government and the vital services it provides to red states and blue states alike,' Lynch said. Republicans who control the committee briefly suspended the proceedings to give GOP lawmakers more time to arrive and vote against the measure, according to The Hill. U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., who was leading the hearing, derided the Democratic effort, telling them they 'looked good' for social media clips as her Democratic colleagues sat before blown-up photos of Musk, The Hill reported. Lynch is vying to permanently become the committee's ranking Democrat following the death last month of U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly of Virginia. He's been temporarily serving in that role. That leadership fight is being cast as a generational battle. Lynch, 70, is one of two septuagenarians looking to lead the committee. U.S. Rep. Kwesi Mfume, 76, of Maryland, is the other. U.S. Reps. Robert Garcia, 47, of California, and Jasmine Crockett, 44, of Texas, a frequent Trump inquisitor, are leading the youth brigade, according to Axios. Harvard Medical School renames DEI office as university fights against Trump admin in court Trump admin threatens Columbia U. accreditation over Jewish student harassment Trump admin can't gut US Ed Department, federal appeals court rules Harvard amps up federal lobbying spending as Trump admin attacks intensify President Trump moves to bar Harvard's international students from entering the U.S. Read the original article on MassLive.
New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
Tesla shares tumble as Trump, Musk escalate attacks: ‘Elon's politics continue to harm stock'
Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and self-proclaimed 'First Buddy' of President Trump, has stepped up criticism of the president's massive tax legislation in recent days. Investors are starting to notice. Tesla shares dropped more than 5% on Thursday on a day otherwise devoid of news for the electric vehicle maker, leading traders to speculate that Musk's increasingly pointed rhetoric suggests strain in the relationship that has benefited his sprawling empire of businesses. President Trump said on Thursday that Musk was upset because the bill took the EV mandate away. 4 Tesla shares dropped over 5% on Thursday, leading traders to speculate that Elon Musk's increasingly pointed rhetoric suggests strain in the relationship with Trump. Francis Chung – Pool via CNP / MEGA 'Look, Elon and I had a great relationship. I don't know if we will anymore,' the president said. 'He said the most beautiful things about me. And he hasn't said bad about me personally. That'll be next. But I'm very disappointed.' Trump's comments extended a decline in Tesla shares. The world's richest man, a key figure in the Department of Government Efficiency's (DOGE) cost-cutting initiative for several months, has blasted the bill, not long after he said he would spend less time in the White House and more time with his companies. On his social media platform X, Musk has called on Congress members to kill the legislation, calling it a 'disgusting abomination.' 'It more than defeats all the cost savings achieved by the DOGE team at great personal cost and risk,' Musk, the largest Republican donor in the 2024 election cycle, said on X on Tuesday. Musk's leadership of DOGE and his alignment with the Trump administration have put off some Tesla buyers. Sales of his EVs have slumped in Europe, China and key US markets like California, even as overall electric vehicle purchases continue to grow. Musk has slowly started to separate himself from the White House in recent weeks, stung in part by the wave of protests against Tesla. 'Elon's politics continue to harm the stock. First he aligned himself with Trump which upset many potential Democratic buyers. Now he has turned on the Trump administration,' said Tesla shareholder Dennis Dick, chief strategist at Stock Trader Network. 4 Musk has slowly started to separate himself from the White House in recent weeks, stung in part by the wave of protests against Tesla. The two at press conference last week, above. / MEGA Musk's other businesses, SpaceX and Starlink, dominate their respective markets, but have also come under scrutiny due to Musk's relationship with Trump. Those two businesses often serve as the default choice for commercial launches and satellite internet deployment, and foreign governments have also increasingly looked to Starlink, with regulatory approvals smoothed by Musk's ties. Tesla shares are down 12% since May 27, roughly coinciding with his decision to pull back from Washington activities. The stock has been on a roller-coaster ever since his endorsement of Trump in mid-July 2024 in his re-election bid, gaining 169% from that point through mid-December. That was followed by a 54% selloff through early April as a 'Tesla Takedown' protest movement intensified. 4 Tesla stock has been on a roller-coaster ever since Musk's endorsement of Trump in mid-July 2024 in his re-election bid. Getty Images The House version of the budget bill proposes largely ending the popular $7,500 electric vehicle subsidy by the end of 2025. Tesla and other automakers have relied on incentives for years to drum up demand, but Trump promised during the transition to end the subsidy. Tesla could face a $1.2 billion hit to its full-year profit, along with an additional $2 billion setback to regulatory credit sales due to separate Senate legislation targeting California's EV sales mandates, according to JPMorgan analysts. 'The budget bill contains bad stuff for Tesla with the end of the EV credits, and just generally his falling out with Trump has risks for Tesla and Elon's other companies,' said Jed Ellerbroek, portfolio manager at Argent Capital Management. 4 Musk's other businesses, SpaceX and Starlink, dominate their respective markets, but have also come under scrutiny due to Musk's relationship with Trump. Starbase, Texas, above. AFP via Getty Images Musk's public attacks have upset potential Republican Tesla buyers as well, Dick added. One White House official on Wednesday called the Tesla CEO's moves 'infuriating.' The billionaire joined Senate Republican deficit hawks this week in arguing that the House bill does not go far enough in reducing spending. Overall, Tesla shares are down 22% this year, including Thursday's losses. But the company is still the most valuable automaker worldwide by a long shot – carrying a market value of $1 trillion, far surpassing Toyota Motor's market value of about $290 billion. Tesla trades at 140.21 times profit estimates, a steep premium to other Big Tech stocks like Nvidia.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
North Carolina governor forms council to recommend cannabis regulations
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein says a panel he's tasked with recommending cannabis sale regulations — including potential legalization of adult use of marijuana — should aim to provide a structure in a state where products now from otherwise lawful hemp are unregulated and leave young people unprotected. The Democratic governor signed an executive order this week creating a State Advisory Council on Cannabis. North Carolina is among a small number of states whose laws prohibit marijuana for both medicinal use or adult recreational use. The General Assembly would have to enact any law legalizing marijuana. The council's findings could add pressure upon lawmakers to place regulations on products, many of which can be obtained at vape and convenience stores. The order directs the 24-member council also named this week to offer preliminary recommendations for a 'comprehensive cannabis policy' and any proposed legislation by next March 15, with final recommendations by the end of 2026. Council members include representatives of state agencies, law enforcement, legislators and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, whose dispensary on tribal land has sold since last year marijuana and cannabis products to any adult over 21. 'Let's work together on a thoughtful, comprehensive solution that allows sales to adults and that is grounded in public safety and health.' Stein said Wednesday in a news release. 'We can work together and get this right.' Hemp is actually a lawful form of cannabis in the state based on its low levels of THC, the chemical that in larger amounts makes people high. Consumable products made from hemp promote CBD, the non-psychoactive chemical within it. But Stein, the former attorney general, says some in the hemp product industry have found ways to extract enough THC from hemp so that their offerings also provide the high of marijuana. He said this has led to an unregulated "Wild West" cannabis market in which anyone, including children, can purchase products with 'intoxicating THC.' In an interview with WRAL-TV on Tuesday, Stein said that he personally supports legalizing adult recreational use of marijuana and other intoxicating THC products, and believes a structure can be put in place that simultaneously keeps them away from children. 'I believe adults should be able to choose what they want to do, but they need to have information,' Stein said. 'They need to be protected.' Legislation that would authorize medical marijuana have cleared the Senate in the recent past occasions but have failed to pass the House. Council members include Republican state Sen. Bill Rabon and GOP Rep. John Bell. Rabon has championed medical marijuana legalization at the General Assembly, while Bell is an executive at a manufacturer of CBD and hemp-based products and who has called for stricter industry regulation. Stein said Wednesday the council should propose developing a regulatory system that "allows adult sales, ensures public safety, promotes public health, supports North Carolina agriculture, expunges past convictions of simple THC possession, and invests the revenues in resources for addiction, mental health, and drugged driving detection.' The order says recommendations also should consider taxation. For now, Stein said, the General Assembly should pass laws prohibiting sales of products with intoxicating THC to anyone under 2021 and set packaging standards. Thirty-nine states and the District of Columbia allow the medical use of cannabis products, while about half of the states and D.C. have legalized small amounts of cannabis for adult recreational use, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
