近距离内射合集

A 234-mile pipeline that could carry natural gas or natural gas-hydrogen blends across the Navajo Nation is a step closer to reality.

The Resources and Development Committee of the Navajo Nation Council voted at the end of March to conditionally allow Tallgrass Energy, through its subsidiary GreenView Resources, to begin work on a segment running from near Farmington to about 40 miles north of Flagstaff, Arizona. It is the only segment of the pipeline to be publicly announced and the only vote the Nation will take on the proposal.

The resolution passed 3-1, with one council member absent and committee Chair Brenda Jesus abstaining.

The right-of-way is contingent on completion 鈥渙f all required environmental studies and archaeological clearances.鈥� Still, debate focused less on environmental concerns than on finances 鈥� who would benefit and how much.

鈥淎s tribes, we don鈥檛 have the capital or the equity 鈥� to build out a project of this magnitude,鈥� Jesus said. 鈥淎t the end of the day, we have to partner up.鈥�

Committee member and co-sponsor Danny Simpson acknowledged likely opposition to energy development but emphasized the need for revenue. 鈥淚f we don鈥檛 have any revenues 鈥� how can we help our communities?鈥� he said.

The project has been in development for five years. It was initially proposed as a hydrogen pipeline but shifted last year to natural gas or a blend of the two 鈥� a change made without consulting the Navajo Nation, drawing criticism.

During the March hearing, delegate Otto Tso said the Nation learned of the shift 鈥渢hrough a third-party source.鈥� He was the only vote against the resolution.

鈥淢y issue is that you鈥檙e going forward rather radically,鈥� Tso said. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 do this for our [Navajo] enterprises.鈥�

Tallgrass representatives said the change reflected market demand. Adam Schiche, the company鈥檚 vice president for business development, said hydrogen had been aimed at Asian markets, but 鈥渢he market decided there was a need for natural gas,鈥� particularly for power and data centers.

The shift also altered the project鈥檚 environmental rationale. The original plan framed hydrogen as a cleaner energy source for industrial uses. The current proposal would deliver natural gas or blended fuels for electricity generation.

It was not clear all committee members distinguished between the fuels. 鈥淲e鈥檙e talking about energy. And we鈥檙e talking about clean energy,鈥� Simpson said. Natural gas, however, is widely considered a fossil fuel that produces climate-warming emissions when burned and can leak methane during production.

鈥淚 know that natural gas still comes from a fossil fuel,鈥� Simpson said, but he ultimately supported the project.

The resolution marks an early step in a process that will require permits across multiple jurisdictions. As of publication, no filings related to Tallgrass or GreenView were listed with regulatory agencies in New Mexico, Arizona or the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Securing permits and building the pipeline could take years.

Tallgrass said the project could supply fuel to as many as three new power plants in Phoenix and Yuma, Arizona, and is seeking additional customers across the Southwest.

A company presentation last year to the Arizona Corporation Commission described the GreenView project as a 鈥渂old, forward-looking solution鈥� to the state鈥檚 energy needs, showing connections from an existing pipeline in northwest Colorado through New Mexico and Utah into Arizona. Still, company officials said the initial phase would center on the San Juan Basin and does not currently extend into Colorado.

At the March 30 hearing, committee members focused heavily on payments to communities along the route. In addition to standard fees paid to the tribe, Tallgrass proposed annual payments of about $30,000 to each of 13 chapter houses, totaling roughly $400,000.

Committee member Rickie Nez pressed the company to commit to the payments. 鈥淲e鈥檙e going to take care of the chapters,鈥� he said, urging a clear pledge.

Schiche responded that the company would support a $400,000 annual community benefits program 鈥渇rom day one.鈥�

Nez accepted the commitment but soon pushed for more, arguing $30,000 per chapter was insufficient. 鈥淲hat is the maximum that you can do?鈥� he asked.

Schiche said the company has not yet secured customer commitments and has not generated revenue from the project but maintained it was committed to providing benefits. He noted Tallgrass has already provided nearly $1 million to local communities and said the company could consider increasing annual payments to $50,000 per chapter.

Nez suggested future negotiations could improve the deal, adding that the company would ultimately profit. 鈥淲e know that he is going to make tons of money,鈥� he said.

The proposal drew controversy even before the vote. The bill was posted online at 4 p.m. on a Friday, with the public comment period closing the following Wednesday. By the next business day, numerous New Mexico officials and organizations had submitted letters of support, including Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham.

By the close of comments, supporters included state lawmakers, the New Mexico Chamber of Commerce, the Jicarilla Apache Nation Council and local officials from Farmington and San Juan County. The council recorded 32 messages in favor and seven opposed.

Opponents included T贸 Nizh贸n铆 脕n铆, a conservation group led by Nicole Horseherder, which has spent years organizing against the pipeline.

鈥淭here needed to be a lot more work done before this vote,鈥� Horseherder said. She criticized the short comment period and said the proposal had not appeared on the prior week鈥檚 agenda, limiting public input.

The group has gathered petitions from 16 chapter houses opposing the project. Horseherder said the effort reflects broader concerns about continued fossil fuel development on the Navajo Nation, which she said has brought limited economic benefit while leaving environmental damage.

鈥淚f they鈥檙e going to move forward in this manner, then they should have a three-fourths vote,鈥� she said, criticizing the narrow approval with one member absent and the chair abstaining.

At this stage, she said, the project is unlikely to be halted unless the company withdraws. 鈥淚鈥檝e never seen the Navajo Nation pull back from a project when it gets past this first step,鈥� she said.

Carolyn Raffensperger, executive director of the Science and Environmental Health Network, said early approvals can give companies leverage in later stages of pipeline development. She pointed to her experience opposing the Dakota Access Pipeline, where early permits were used to justify continued investment.

Companies, she said, can frame projects as too costly to stop once construction begins. 鈥淗ow could you possibly cause the state [or tribe] to lose so much money when we鈥檝e already invested?鈥� she said.

Raffensperger also raised concerns about the technical and safety differences between fuels. While natural gas infrastructure is well established in the region, hydrogen presents distinct risks.

鈥淗ydrogen is really different,鈥� she said. 鈥淗ydrogen is pretty explosive. 鈥� Are they prepared for the kinds of problems these pipelines can pose?鈥�

The coming years will determine whether the project secures the approvals and customers needed to move forward. For now, the committee鈥檚 vote marks an initial 鈥� and contentious 鈥� step.

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