Federal energy regulators deny permits for a controversial project on the Navajo Nation
Federal energy officials denied permits for a controversial hydropower project on The Navajo Nation in northern Arizona. In its decision to deny those permits, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) said it was establishing a new policy about cooperation with Tribes. … The hydropower company Nature and People First was seeking permits for a “pumped storage” project in the Black Mesa area of Arizona to generate electricity for nearby cities such as Phoenix and Tucson. That kind of facility holds water from high-elevation reservoirs, then allows gravity to carry it down through turbines to generate power. Then, when electricity demand is lower, that water is pumped back up to the upper reservoir to start the process over again.