Resisters
ordered off site
Contractors to move into Desert Rock
site today
By Kathy Helms
Diné Bureau, Dec. 21, 2006
SHIPROCK — Resisters blocking access
to the proposed Desert Rock plant site were told to
break camp Wednesday by a Shiprock District Court judge,
and Frank Maisano of Sithe Global says contractors are
moving in today.
"We have given them ample opportunity.
We have gone the extra mile to respect their views and
make sure that they're heard, that they got the meetings
that they wanted to get," he said.
Diné Power Authority brought
them firewood and necessities upon the encouragement
of Vice President Frank Dayish Jr. to make the resisters
comfortable.
Maisano said, "Look, if we wanted
to kick them out, we wouldn't have been arranging meetings,
respecting their views, bringing them necessities.
"The vice president, the president,
George Arthur and tribal council members have all been
up there, taking time out of busy schedules to meet
and chat and discuss issues with those people, as they
have many times. This isn't the first time we've had
these discussions."
Maisano said they had been talking for
nearly three years. "As far as I know, their positions
haven't changed that much. We've heard their views before.
"They wanted to see the permits,
we've showed them all the permits. We have the legal
permission to be doing the preliminary test well work
that we're doing.
"With regret, we have asked the
court to give us our legal right, too, to get into that
site and do the work that we've been given permission
to do," Maisano said.
A notice to resisters sent Tuesday by
an Albuquerque law firm on behalf of DPA and Desert
Rock Energy, said the companies "hereby demand
that any persons or other entities now occupying the
591.84 acre project site ... immediately vacate and
remove themselves from the site and allow any and all
access to the site" by developers.
The notice said that if the resisters
"do not immediately do as demanded above,"
that DPA and Desert Rock Energy would seek injunctive
relief against them, including a temporary restraining
order.
"The court issued an order today
giving us the ability to go to the site. The $100,000
question is what will happen (today) when the contractor
shows up to go," Maisano said late Wednesday evening.
He referred to the Navajo Nation Council's
66-7 vote of support for the Desert Rock Energy Facility.
"The president ran on this as a
major part of his plank, and won re-election,"
an indication that the Navajo Nation wants to do the
project, according to Maisano.
"When you hear President Shirley,
when you hear the type of conversations that they had,
and his dogged support for what he thinks is the right
thing to do for the future and the direction of the
Navajo Nation, you almost have to respect his doggedness
and support for the project as much as those people
who oppose the project support their views.
"To me, that's a strong statement
of how important this project is," Maisano said.
An plea went out Wednesday evening from
Enei Begaye of Black Mesa Water Coalition.
"Desert Rock Resisters, many
of whom are Navajo elders, have been served papers of
temporary restraining orders and an immediate injunctive
relief on behalf of the Diné Power Authority/Sithe
Global. Still they remain firm in their blockade of
the Desert Rock power plant!" she said in an emailed
alert. "They have requested that any and all people
join them. If you are able to travel to the Navajo Reservation
in the northwestern part of New Mexico, please stand
with them!"
|
