Latest news with #BuuNygren
CBS News
02-06-2025
- Business
- CBS News
RFK Jr. is struggling to keep his promise to protect Native Americans from health cuts
WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. — Navajo Nation leaders took turns talking with the U.S. government's top health official as they hiked along a sandstone ridge overlooking their rural, high-desert town before the morning sun grew too hot. Buu Nygren, president of the Navajo Nation, paused at the edge with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Below them, tribal government buildings, homes, and juniper trees dotted the tan and deep-red landscape. Nygren said he wanted Kennedy to look at the capital for the nation of about 400,000 enrolled members. The tribal president pointed toward an antiquated health center that he hoped federal funding would help replace and described life for the thousands of locals without running water due to delayed government projects. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren talk on the edge of a ridge in Window Rock, Arizona, about the nation's list of health priorities. Katheryn Houghton/KFF Health News Nygren said Kennedy had already done a lot, primarily saving the Indian Health Service from a round of staffing cuts rippling through the federal government. "When we started hearing about the layoffs and the freezes, you were the first one to stand up for Indian Country," he told Kennedy, of his move to spare the federal agency charged with providing health care to Native Americans and Alaska Natives. But Nygren and other Navajo leaders said cuts to federal health programs outside the Indian Health Service are hurting Native Americans. "You're disrupting real lives," Cherilyn Yazzie, a Navajo council delegate, told KFF Health News as she described recent changes. Kennedy has repeatedly promised to prioritize Native Americans' health care. But Native Americans and health officials across tribal nations say those overtures are overshadowed by the collateral harm from massive cuts to federal health programs. The sweeping reductions have resulted in cuts to funding directed toward or disproportionately relied on by Native Americans. Staffing cuts, tribal health leaders say, have led to missing data and poor communication. The Indian Health Service provides free health care at its hospitals and clinics to Native Americans, who, as a group, face higher rates of chronic diseases and die younger than other populations. Those inequities are attributable to centuries of systemic discrimination. But many tribal members don't live near an agency clinic or hospital. And those who do may face limited services, chronic underfunding, and staffing shortages. To work around those gaps, health organizations lean on other federally funded programs. "There may be a misconception among some of the administration that Indian Country is only impacted by changes to the Indian Health Service," said Liz Malerba, a tribal policy expert and citizen of the Mohegan Tribe. "That's simply not true." Tribes have lost more than $6 million in grants from other HHS agencies, the National Indian Health Board wrote in a May letter to Kennedy. Janet Alkire, chairperson of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in the Dakotas, said at a May 14 Senate committee hearing that those grants paid for community health workers, vaccinations, data modernization, and other public health efforts. The government also canceled funding for programs it said violated President Trump's ban on "diversity, equity, and inclusion," including one aimed at Native American youth interested in science and medicine and another that helps several tribes increase access to healthy food — something Kennedy has said he wants to prioritize. Tribal health officials say slashed federal staffing has made it harder to get technical support and money for federally funded health projects they run. The firings have cut or eliminated staff at programs related to preventing overdoses in tribal communities, using traditional food and medicine to fight chronic disease, and helping low-income people afford to heat and cool their homes through the Low Income Home Energy Program. The Oglala Sioux Tribe is in South Dakota, where Native Americans who struggle to heat their homes have died of hypothermia. Through mid-May the tribe hadn't been able to access its latest funding installment from the energy program, said John Long, the tribe's chief of staff. Abigail Echo-Hawk, director of the Urban Indian Health Institute at the Seattle Indian Health Board, said the government has sent her organization incomplete health data. That includes statistics about Native Americans at risk for suicide and substance use disorders, which the center uses to shape public health policy and programs. "People are going to die because we don't have access to the data," Echo-Hawk said. Her organization is also having trouble administering a $2.2 million federal grant, she said, because the agency handling the money fired staffers she worked with. The grant pays for public health initiatives such as smoking cessation and vaccinations. "It is very confusing to say chronic disease prevention is the No. 1 priority and then to eradicate the support needed to address chronic disease prevention in Indian Country," Echo-Hawk said. HHS spokesperson Emily Hilliard said Kennedy aims to combat chronic diseases and improve well-being among Native Americans "through culturally relevant, community-driven solutions." Hilliard did not respond to questions about Kennedy's specific plans for Native American health or concerns about existing and proposed funding and staffing changes. As Kennedy hiked alongside Navajo Nation leaders, KFF Health News asked how he would improve and protect access to care for tribal communities amid rollbacks within his department. "That's exactly what I'm doing," Kennedy responded. "Making sure that all the cuts do not affect these communities." Kennedy has said his focus on Native American health stems from personal and family experience, something he repeated to Navajo leadership. As an attorney, he worked with tribes on environmental health lawsuits. He also served as an editor at ICT, a major Native American news outlet. The secretary said he was also influenced by his uncle, President John F. Kennedy, and his father, U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, who were both assassinated when Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was a child. "They thought that America would never live up to its moral authority and its role as an exemplary nation around the world if we didn't first look back and remediate or mitigate the original sin of the American experience — the genocide of the Native people," Kennedy said during his visit. Some tribal leaders say the recent cuts, and the way the administration made them, violate treaties in which the U.S. promised to provide for the health and welfare of tribes in return for taking their land. "We have not been consulted with meaningfully on any of these actions," said Malerba, director of policy and legislative affairs for the United South and Eastern Tribes Sovereignty Protection Fund, which advocates for tribes from Texas to Maine. Alkire said at the congressional hearing that many Native American health organizations sent letters to the health department asking for consultations but none has received a response. Tribal consultation is legally required when federal agencies pursue changes that would have a significant impact on tribal nations. "This is not just a moral question of what we owe Native people," Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) said at the hearing. "It is also a question of the law." Tribal leaders are worried about additional proposed changes, including funding cuts to the Indian Health Service and a reorganization of the federal health department. Esther Lucero, president and CEO of the Seattle Indian Health Board, said the maneuvers remind her of the level of daily uncertainty she felt working through the COVID-19 pandemic — only with fewer resources. "Our ability to serve those who are desperately in need feels at risk," Lucero said. Among the most pressing concerns are congressional Republicans' proposed cuts to Medicaid, the primary government health insurance program for people with low incomes or disabilities. About 30% of Native American and Alaska Native people younger than 65 are enrolled in Medicaid, and the program helps keep Indian Health Service and other tribal health facilities afloat. Native American adults would be exempt from Medicaid work requirements approved by House Republicans on May 21. After Kennedy summited Window Rock with Navajo Nation leaders, the tribe held a prayer ceremony in which they blessed him in Diné Bizaad, the Navajo language. President Nygren stressed how meaningful it was for the country's health secretary to walk alongside them. He also reminded Kennedy of the list of priorities they'd discussed. That included maintaining the federal low-income energy assistance program. "We look forward to reestablishing and protecting some of the services that your department provides," Nygren said. As of mid-May, the Trump administration had proposed eliminating the energy program, which remains unstaffed. KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF — the independent source for health policy research, polling, and journalism.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Many on Navajo Nation blindsided by hydrogen pipeline change
An abandoned oil well sits on a hillside on Tribal land near Farmington, New Mexico. (Photo: Jerry Redfern) The company at the center of a controversial green energy project connecting New Mexico and Arizona has changed plans for a key component: A much-debated pipeline that would have carried climate-friendly hydrogen will instead carry natural gas, and possibly a natural gas-hydrogen blend at a future date. Unlike hydrogen, natural gas, blended or not, contributes to climate warming both in its production and when it is burned for energy. The pipeline is part of a much larger project by Tallgrass Energy Partners LP that would create a hydrogen economy centered in Farmington in the northwest corner of New Mexico. Plans include hydrogen production, a massive hub to inject carbon deep underground, repurposing a mothballed coal-fired power plant as a hydrogen-fired power plant, and pipelines connecting the various parts. The plans also included one pipeline to carry hydrogen across the Navajo Nation to markets in Arizona and farther afield. Tallgrass decided to change what would be delivered in the pipeline earlier this year, and the news surprised many. Starting in 2021, the company, working through its subsidiary GreenView, carried out a public relations campaign along the proposed pipeline route through the Navajo Nation, hyping the green benefits of hydrogen. Switching to natural gas or a gas-hydrogen blend would dramatically reduce or eliminate those benefits. This story originally appeared on Capital & Main and is republished with permission. Tallgrass and GreenView also negotiated directly with the top level of the Navajo government about the project, most recently Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren. But when asked about the change to natural gas, Bidtah Becker, chief legal counsel for the president's office, said, 'It clearly was a decision that had been made long before we were informed.' Many embraced the project in a region that has seen declining oil and gas production and associated revenues from the surrounding San Juan Basin, as well as the closure of a large coal-fired power plant and its mine. The project also drew sharp skepticism on and off the Navajo Nation, where more than a century of industrial mineral extraction and production has failed to produce widespread economic benefits to residents. Unlike fossil fuels, many see hydrogen as a miracle fuel. It produces only water vapor as a byproduct when run through an electrolyzer to make electricity and it produces no climate-warming carbon dioxide when burned, though it does emit other noxious air pollutants. However, common methods of producing hydrogen use natural gas as a feedstock, creating large quantities of climate-warming carbon dioxide that need to be permanently buried underground — which is difficult, expensive and often unsuccessful — if the fuel is to be considered climate friendly. Steven Davidson, vice president of government and public affairs at Tallgrass, said the change 'does not indicate a departure from our commitment to clean hydrogen production and [carbon dioxide] sequestration. Instead, we are strategically positioning the project to meet both current and future energy demands.' The change would make a pipeline capable of carrying natural gas and a blend of natural gas and hydrogen in the future, Davidson said: 'In short, definitely no deviation from our focus on clean hydrogen as a decarbonization solution.' That solution includes working with the Navajo Nation, he added. 'We have invested four years of our time and resources in true partnerships to invest with the Navajo people,' he said. 'We are a group of one in that respect.' Joe Romm, a senior research fellow at the University of Pennsylvania's Penn Center for Science, Sustainability and the Media and a former acting assistant secretary for energy efficiency and renewable energy at the U.S. Department of Energy, is doubtful about the project's overall prospects. 'In the real world, you don't see [projects] like this happen a lot, something so complicated,' he said. So big hydrogen projects are the result of 'powerful backers. And the most powerful is the oil and gas industry.' The complication starts with transporting blended gas. 'Blending doesn't make a lot of sense. You can't blend a lot' because the chemical nature of hydrogen 'will basically tunnel through and destroy normal steel and a lot of other things,' Romm said. By comparison, long-distance natural gas pipelines have been around for decades (though they aren't risk-free). ''You – Don't forget to add author ''You – Don't forget to add author .' ' author='Joe Romm, Penn Center for Science, Sustainability and the Media'/] Then there is the basic math of the most common method of making hydrogen from natural gas: steam methane reformation. According to researchers at Texas A&M University, it requires 3.16 kilograms of natural gas and another 9.74 kilograms of water to make a single kilogram of hydrogen. That process also creates 8.47 kilograms of climate-warming carbon dioxide. The formula doesn't include the fuel needed to power the process or the energy needed to sequester the carbon dioxide to keep the hydrogen's green credentials. That carbon sequestration hub would be another sticking point because carbon capture projects are hard. 'You can't find a successful major carbon capture and storage [project],' Romm said. Furthermore, natural gas production itself is an inherently leaky process, and the methane in the gas is 80 times more effective at trapping heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide. With all of these complications inherent in hydrogen production and transport, Romm said, 'Just pipe the natural gas.' The pipeline change came at roughly the same time that a member of the Arizona Corporation Commission asked the commission to study building more natural gas pipelines and storage facilities for the state. Among other duties, the commission oversees pipeline safety and power utilities. Nick Myers, the Arizona commission vice chair, said he hadn't heard of the GreenView pipeline project when he asked the commission to study such projects. 'To the extent I may have been informed, but don't remember, it was only in passing,' he said. 'I would love to talk to someone just to be in the loop.' Tallgrass' Davidson said, 'We were not involved in the [commission's] decision.' But, he added, 'It's not surprising,' considering that AI data centers alone are projected to consume up to 16.5% of the state's power grid by 2030. 'None of the [other] pipelines that are proposed to be built into Arizona, to the best of our knowledge, provide any value to the Navajo Nation,' Davidson added. So far, Myers' February memo to the commission has prompted 17 letters on possible new natural gas infrastructure in Arizona. All but two were in favor, and six specifically mentioned the GreenView natural gas pipeline. One of those letters was co-authored by New Mexico state Rep. Meredith Dixon (D-Albuquerque), who promoted and regularly voted in favor of fossil-fuel-friendly legislation during the state's two-month legislative session earlier this year. She also cosponsored legislation that set up a framework for the state to manage carbon sequestration projects such as the planned CarbonSAFE hub in northwest New Mexico that's part of Tallgrass' overarching hydrogen project. (Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed the bill into law on April 7.) Dixon's co-author of both the letter and the legislation was state Sen. William Sharer (R-Farmington), the Senate minority floor leader and a longtime champion of oil and natural gas production. His district covers a large portion of the San Juan Basin in northwest New Mexico. Among the perceived benefits, the legislators championed the natural gas pipeline as 'a unique opportunity to uplift the Navajo Nation,' despite the fact that oil and gas have been produced for more than 100 years on the economically challenged reservation. The letter doesn't note them talking with anyone from the Nation, either. In an email, Dixon said, 'Even as [Sharer] and I disagree on some principles, we agree on the important role of carbon storage.' Dixon didn't say how she heard about the GreenView pipeline change, apparently before many on the Navajo Nation did. But she did offer reasons for supporting it: the argument of natural gas as a so-called 'bridge fuel' (which is often–debunked); national and international security risks in light of the Russian invasion of Ukraine (which are debatable); and the real lack of other readily available power sources for energy-intensive manufacturing processes and transport. Groups ranging from the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to the Rocky Mountain Institute support using hydrogen in energy-intensive industrial processes and heavy transport — but not elsewhere. That's because for the past few years, grid-scale solar and wind energy have been cheaper to install than any fossil fuel. In fact, solar projects are growing across the Navajo Nation as part of a federal program to electrify Native lands. And the Environment America Research & Policy Center ranked New Mexico fourth in its top 10 list of states for renewable energy. 'My letter is intended to highlight potential opportunities created by this project,' Dixon said. 'I fully expect Tallgrass to engage with all affected tribal and non-tribal communities.' Three more letters that share similar structure and language and came from businesses on or near the Mexican border may be the work of LS2group, which calls itself 'a bipartisan public relations, government affairs, public affairs, and marketing firm.' Josh Rubin, the vice president of a cross-border manufacturing facilitator in Nogales, Arizona, 300 miles from the pipeline, told Capital & Main that a friend at LS2group asked him to send the letter, though he wasn't overly familiar with the project. A second letter, signed by a Holly Jensen claiming to own a Groovy Hues painting franchise in Tucson, couldn't be verified. Neither name is affiliated with a registered business in Tucson, though there is a Groovy Hues 113 miles away in Phoenix, registered to a different person. And a call center operator for Groovy Hues said the company doesn't do business in Tucson. A third letter writer, Michael Sene, who runs a truck repair shop on the border, didn't respond to a call and message from Capital & Main. LS2group also did not return calls from Capital & Main. Jessica Keetso (Diné) is deeply familiar with the GreenView project. For three years as an outreach coordinator for the Native group Tó Nizhóní Ání, or Sacred Water Speaks, she led an educational campaign opposing the hydrogen pipeline. (She recently left the group to attend law school.) Even so, she first heard about the change from hydrogen to natural gas from Capital & Main, though she suspected something was in the works. 'We knew something was happening because of how little presence Tallgrass had in the community' in recent months, she said. 'I think the Nation was always uncertain about the market for hydrogen,' she added. As for the pipeline change, 'I think it's really going to push the Navajo Nation for more benefits.' Keetso said tribal agencies had already devoted a lot of time and energy working on the initial GreenView proposal, and changing the fuel could restart the whole process. She said that when she asked regulatory agencies on the Navajo Nation what would be required for changing the long-debated hydrogen pipeline to natural gas, they hadn't heard of it. 'People freaked out,' she said.
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Tensions escalate among Navajo leaders as Nygren finally agrees to address Navajo Nation Council
Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren's designated seat within the Navajo Nation Council Chamber remained empty during the State of the Navajo Nation Address for the opening of the Spring Session on April 21, 2025. Photo courtesy of the Navajo Nation Council Two days after he ignored a subpoena demanding he appear before the Navajo Nation Council as it kicked off its spring legislative session, Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren will deliver his State of the Navajo Nation address on Wednesday. It will be the first time that Nygren has appeared in the council chambers since January, when he cut his short and left before completing his quarterly State of the Navajo Nation address amid questions from delegates that he thought were disrespectful. Although Nygren announced on Tuesday that he would honor the Navajo Nation Council Speaker's invitation to appear before the council and provide this quarter's report in person, he made clear that he wouldn't hesitate to leave again if he was asked questions he didn't want to answer. 'I am prepared to have a meaningful, engaging and productive discussion about the things we were all elected on, including housing, water, electricity, roads, broadband, sovereignty and more,' he said in a memo to the speaker's office. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX 'I request that you allow me to present my State of the Nation uninterrupted,' he added. 'I reserve the right to excuse myself if the questions and comments derail productive discussion and are not focused on our shared goals of serving the people and moving the Nation forward.' Nygren said he specifically won't entertain discussions on topics 'rooted in gossip, unsubstantiated information, and are unproductive,' which he said are not appropriate or productive. Nygren requested that the Navajo Nation Council Delegates submit any questions they would like him to address beforehand, something he said would make the process as productive and orderly as possible. Nygren's move to provide his state of the address in person comes after the Navajo Nation Council voiced their concerns about his failure to appear and present during the opening of the spring session on Monday. Although Nygren was expected to deliver his address, he was absent, leaving the council with only a written report. The Navajo Nation Council stated in a press release that Nygren has failed to appear and present the address to the council and the public four times since he was elected into office. Nygren's last appearance before the council was on Jan. 27 during the Winter Session, but it abruptly ended when Nygren excused himself and left the Navajo Nation Council chambers before completing his address. In his memo to the speaker, Nygren said that he left the winter session due to the conduct of some of the delegates present, who he felt 'did not align with the decorum, order and mutual respect expected of naat'áanii (leader).' Before the spring session, Navajo Nation Council Speaker Crystalyne Curley filed a subpoena ordering Nygren to appear before the council on April 21 at 10 a.m. to deliver his State of the Navajo Nation address and report. In a statement posted on social media, Nygren said he was traveling to Washington, D.C., to meet with federal partners. 'This trip underscores my commitment to working collaboratively, regardless of political affiliation—be it Republican or Democratic—to advocate for our Nation's needs and priorities,' he wrote on Facebook. Nygren said that he fulfilled his 'obligations' to the Navajo Nation Council by submitting a written report, which aligns with the requirements of Title 2 of the Navajo Nation Code. 'This action demonstrates my commitment to transparency and accountability to the Navajo people,' he added. Curley said working with federal partners is important, but the president must also report to the Navajo people and engage in meaningful dialogue with the Council members. 'What we're seeing from President Nygren is a lot of one-way communication directed at the Navajo people through radio, livestreams, newsletters, social media, and now a written report,' Curley said in a press release. 'The Navajo people want to hear President Nygren present his report in person and to have an in-depth dialogue with the Council,' she added. 'Yes, it's important to work with our federal partners, but President Nygren also needs to work with our Diné leaders as he promised when he campaigned for the presidency.' During Monday's opening day of the spring session, several Navajo Nation Council delegates voiced their concerns about Nygren's administration. They cited repeated absences, unilateral decision-making, and alleged misrepresentations made to both federal partners and the Council. 'We've been patient and willing to work with him,' Navajo Nation Council Delegate Brenda Jesus said. 'But enough is enough. At what point does the Navajo Nation Council show that we mean business? He's not honoring our collaboration — he's mocking it.' Navajo Nation Council Delegate Vince James said the president's absence was not just disappointing, it was disrespectful to the Navajo people. 'President Nygren is playing games with this body and with our Nation,' James said, adding that Nygren has been scheduling meetings in Washington, D.C., to avoid his responsibility to report to the council. 'His actions are undermining our programs and our sovereignty,' James said. Navajo Nation Council Delegate Andy Nez called on the council to consider hosting a special session to address the ongoing pattern of Nygren's absences. 'The president's absence sends the wrong message,' Nez said. 'We cleared our schedules to be here. His staff knows when the Council meets. He chooses public appearances and media over direct dialogue with this body.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
'In our prayers': Fire at Dine College in northern Arizona closes campus, cancels classes
A fire broke out at Diné College's Student Union Building, closing the main campus for the day and moving classes online. The fire alert was triggered around 2:15 a.m. April 14, according to the college. The Navajo Nation Police Department and Fire Department responded shortly after the alert, the school said. Fire Causes Closure of Diné College Main CampusTsaile, Ariz. - April 14, 2025. An early morning fire at Diné College's... Posted by Diné College on Monday, April 14, 2025 The fire was not fully contained as of 1 p.m. April 14. A propane service interruption in response to the fire left dorms and single-family housing without heating or cooking capabilities, the school confirmed. Officials with the college provided cold meals and temporary heating to campus residents. Fire officials urged the public to stay away from the main campus until the fire was contained. The cause of the fire was under investigation, and it was unknown how long the campus would be closed and how long classes would be online, as of April 14. Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren posted his support on Facebook. "As President of the Navajo Nation, I want our students to know that we are here for you. We are doing everything possible to ensure your safety and well being. Our emergency responders are working tirelessly, and we are deeply grateful for their courage and service," Nygren said. "To the Diné College community — you are in our prayers. We pray for strength, healing and comfort during this time. Ahe'hee to everyone offering support. May we move forward together, united in hope and care for one another." Diné College's main campus is located in Tsaile, Arizona. The college also has locations in Window Rock, Chinle and Tuba City, as well as Shiprock and Crownpoint in New Mexico. According to its website, the college serves a predominantly Navajo student population across the Navajo Nation. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Fire at Dine College in northern Arizona cancels class, closes campus
Axios
19-03-2025
- Politics
- Axios
Navajo Code Talkers materials to be restored on military websites following backlash
The Department of Defense will restore materials related to the Navajo Code Talkers on its website after their removal was met with criticism, Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren posted on X on Wednesday. What they're saying: " White House officials reached out to my office and confirmed that removal of 'Navajo' from the agency websites was a result of an error caused by Artificial Intelligence (AI) automated review process associated with Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives," Nygren wrote. The latest: By Wednesday, the Defense Department in a statement said it planned to restore the material that had been taken down during the "auto-removal process," reported. U.S. Army spokesman Christopher Surridge said in a statement, per that the information would be republished on its websites. "The heroic actions of the Navajo Code Talkers will live in the annals of our nation's history forever, and we are proud to restore articles highlighting these soldiers who bravely served in both world wars," Surridge said. Catch up quick: Axios reported Monday that at least 10 articles mentioning the Code Talkers had disappeared from the U.S. Army and Department of Defense websites.
