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Contact: Erny Zah Director of Communications Cell: (928) 380-0771 [email protected] For Immediate Release Sept. 30, 2012 Navajo President Shelly to Congress: Do Your Job WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. — Speaking out against a potential federal government shutdown, Navajo Nation President Ben Shelly expressed his dismay that Congress is failing to honor its trust responsibility to Native American tribes. "It is unconscionable that the federal government will come to a complete halt due to a few unreasonable members of Congress. They have one primary role, to fund the government, and they need to do their job. By failing to provide funding, Congress is once again failing to honor its trust responsibility to America’s first people,” President Shelly said. The Navajo people will see an immediate impact in their communities. Hospitals, law enforcement and social services will remain operational. Social Security benefits (both Supplemental Security Income and Social Security Disability Insurance) will continue to be disbursed uninterrupted. Other programs such as tribal colleges, some Indian Health Service units, and Head Start are not forward funded and will operate only if funds are currently available. There is no guarantee of federal reimbursement if tribes choose to self- fund. "Much like sequester, once again Congress is placing ideology before the basic needs of American people," added President Shelly. President Shelly also reiterated the Navajo Nation's need for fiscal restraint in uncertain economic environments. "The Navajo Nation Council has repeatedly attempted to use up our reserves. I have sought to ensure that we have sufficient dollars to weather these types of crises through veto of budget line items. I recently vetoed more than $8.7 million in unnecessary spending. I urge the Council to keep federal budget uncertainties, like the current possible shutdown, in mind when appropriating the Navajo people's money," President Shelly said. ### Floods cover Navajo Nation, NDOT steps up with road maintenance Rock Point Chapter was hit especially hard by moonsoon rains in mid-Sept. 2013. This aerial photo south of Rock Point shows the flooding on both sides of U.S. Route 191. (Photo by Rick Abasta) WINDOW ROCK-The Division of Transportation. es from and in response to 21 Arizona chapters that flood waters have finally Chaco said NDOT staff torrential monsoonal flooding sustained damages, plus 26 receded. worked late into the night and throughout the Navajo Nation. chapters in New Mexico with For over a month, the on weekends to get the road- The declaration was passed similar damages, and six Navajo Nation received several ways cleared. by a vote of 4-0. chapters in Utah that were inches of rainfall from the “The storms first hit the The Commission stated also adversely affected by the monsoon rains, giving life Eastern Agency in mid-August the Navajo Nation sustained weather conditions. to the high desert plants and and continued through into damages exceeding the one In addition, 50 earthen challenges for reservation the month of September for million dollar threshold for the dams, excluding federally-list- travelers in the process. the Chinle Agency,” Chaco Federal Emergency Manage- ed dams under the Safety of According to the National said. “We utilized funds that ment Agency’s major disaster Dams, were breached from the Oceanic and Atmospheric were earmarked for FY 2014 declaration. heavy rainfall. Administration, the Navajo road maintenance projects to Tribal programs suffer- Signed by CEM Commis- Nation received over 150 address the flooding. ing damages from the storm sioner Herman Shorty and percent of the normal amount “The Navajo Nation needs included Fleet Management, Navajo Nation President Ben of precipitation. Portions of to do a mitigation plan for Motor Pool, Body Shop, Na- Shelly, the declaration allowed Coconino and Navajo County these flood plains,” he added. vajo Environmental Protec- the Navajo Nation to coordi- received almost double the On August 21, 2013, the tion Agency, Department of nate emergency and disaster normal monsoonal rainfall. Navajo Nation Commission on Justice, Navajo Nation Council relief with non-tribal entities. “We have been working Emergency Management met Chamber, Navajo Nation Zoo, Chaco said although NDOT the two months to address at the Navajo Transportation Navajo Tribal Utility Au- was not in the business of washouts and flooding across Center Emergency Operations thority, and Bureau of Indian maintaining dams, his crew the Navajo Nation,” said Paul- Center and declared a state Affairs offices. worked feverishly on Sept. son Chaco, director of Navajo of emergency due to damag- The declaration listed 14 to prevent the Crownpoint Dam, located behind the old Command Center at Wild- PHS housing, from breaching. cat Den. Road maintenance Lyneve Begaye, an archae- activities concluded on Sept. ologist with the NDOT Project 20, with washout repair and Planning Department, said culvert backfill on N8068 in she assisted with emergency the Tachee and Whippoorwill services in Crownpoint. area. “Crownpoint Dam needed A total of 52 road main- monitoring for environmental tenance projects were com- and archaeological services. pleted, with assistance from We also took out water and the Bureau of Indian Affairs, supplies for residents,” Begaye which worked on 12 of the said. projects. NDOT staff utilized a The Department of Roads six-inch pump owned by the also released a second report, division to begin pumping detailing work performed in water out of the dam to relieve the Tonalea and Cow Springs pressure. Begaye and others area from Sept. 4 through also began filling and stack- Sept. 13. ing sandbags to hold back the There were six washouts Navajo Division of Transportation director Paulson Chaco inspects a tem- water. and one sinkhole in the area porary bridge built by residents of Pinedale Chapter, after their old bridge was washed out after the storms. Joining him is heavy equipment operator Begaye said, “We ended up and NDOT road crews cleared Cornelius Kenny. (Photo by Rick Abasta) sandbagging and clearing an five routes of sediment and area for our blade and loader debris. A total of 15.1 miles of to cut a spillway into the dam road was bladed or reshaped. to relieve the pressure. A total of 411.47 cubic yards With assistance from the was backfilled. Department of Water Resourc- The total cost for efforts in es, a deep spillway was cut the Tonalea area amounted to into the dam and a flooding $26,580. Travel expenses were disaster for the community 1,920. Fleet expenses were was averted. $14,244. Personnel expenses On Sept. 16, President amounted to $9,147. Shelly requested for assistance Routes that were addressed from FEMA to address the in the area by NDOT road damages from the storm. crews included 6011, 6260, Recently, NDOT Depart- 513N, 6270, 6269, N631, and ment of Roads released a 213. report titled “Operation Storm NDOT worked with the Surge,” which tracked their BIA Force Account crew to efforts with flood road mainte- address flooding in the San nance activities from the past Juan Chapter area, which had month. five routes that were flooded Homes alongside U.S. Route 191 in the Many Farms area were flooded for The eight-page report and three sinkholes. days before the water began to recede. Here, Apache County Sheriff’s Office detailed the scope of work Crews cleared the area in perform a welfare check on residents stranded by flooding. (Photo by Rick provided by NDOT road crews four days. Abasta) during recent rain storms Interstate 40 near Toha- and floods across the Navajo jiilee was temporarily closed Nation. to one lane by New Mexico For the Chinle Agency, 27 Department of Transportation routes were cleared. The six on Sept. 13, after a 20-foot washouts and one sinkhole in sinkhole was discovered in the the area resulted in 81.6 miles center of the freeway. of road that was bladed and re- Another area of concern shaped and 2,024 cubic yards was U.S. Route 491, which of road that was backfilled. was momentarily closed, after Using the manpower of 14 the rainstorms flooded the NDOT personnel and seven damaged roadway between heavy equipment vehicles, the Naschitti and Sheep Springs. total cost for the road main- NMDOT road crews tenance was $37,233. Fleet cleared the roadway and expenses amounted to $24,309 opened it up to traffic. and personnel expenses totaled Information: $12,923. www.navajodot.org Work began on Sept. 3, with an assessment of the -30- Chinle Agency and brief- Access roads off U.S. Route 191 south of Chinle were completely flooded. ing meeting at the Incident BIA and NDOT road crews worked steadfastly to clear roads of sediment and debris. A bulldozer is visible in the distance. (Photo by Rick Abasta) nd 22 NAVAJO NATION COUNCIL | Office of the Speaker MEDIA CONTACTS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Jared Touchin | 928.221.9253 September 27, 2013 Krista Thompson | 928.637.5603 Jolene Holgate | 928.871.7160 [email protected] Resources and Development Committee discusses Navajo Agriculture Products Incorporated audit report and farming ventures WINDOW ROCK – On Tuesday, the Resources and Development Committee discussed a report from Navajo Agricultural Products Incorporated regarding their 2012‐2013 audit. NAPI is a Navajo Nation owned farming enterprise that produces Navajo Pride brand agricultural products such as potatoes, alfalfa, beans, small grains, and corn. NAPI is located near Farmington, operating one of the largest ranges of farmland in the country. The NAPI audit report included an extensive review of 2012‐2013 financial statements, a listing of capital and assets, expenditures, and summaries of single audits. NAPI chief financial officer Darryl Maltine, reviewed the audit report with RDC members and explained that NAPI’s newest venture is aimed at strengthening the Navajo Pride flour brand.