Letters | Abuse of authority
Abuse of authority
Editor,
In reference to the BIA regional director’s letter dated Feb. 25, 2026, here is my latest complaint of BIA Navajo Region. It is evident that Navajo Region continues lack of federal trust responsibility. This is a continuation of criticizing BIA Navajo Region Natural Resource Program’s corruption.
I asked BIA for a rebuttal to complaints each time to prove me wrong, but they refused. I sent emails, internal memos, letters, phone calls, etc. I expected a written letter, email, or phone call to tell me, “These are serious allegations … come in … let’s talk.” Nothing happened. Region refusing rebuttal shows criticisms are truth of BIA’s failure maintaining its trust responsibility.
This is reporting BIA Navajo Region’s corruption, seeking justice for elders and uneducated Navajos who are impacted with BIA not approving grazing/farm permit transfers, withholding permit updates of deceased permit holders, etc. For those attending the Agriculture Resource Management Plan public meeting on April 23, 2026, at Fort Defiance Chapter, we need to know why BIA regional director is permitted to continue abuse of authority and unjustified administrative actions?
Here are more complaints by BIA abusing trust responsibility and mishandling grazing records, grazing permits, and farm permits. BIA leadership has not enforced standard of ethics for its employees. Records show lack of internal accountability for BIA personnel professional conduct. They have professionals as technical advisers to assist us with ensuring policies, guidelines and regulations are followed. They have not done it.
BIA caused emotional stress, depression and hardship on livestock owners and farmers by its failure to follow 1969 NEPA and 1994 ARMP congressional mandates until now. BIA Navajo Region kept covering evidence of abuse with problems they created decades ago. In the order of significance, I am listing infractions committed by BIA Navajo Region and its impacts on Diné grazing permittees and farmers.
For decades, BIA caused permit holders emotional stress, depression, and mental anguish on us grazing permittees and farmers. My past appeal records and support documents show poor management and waste of American tax money. In the order of significance, here’s a list of infractions BIA committed that impacted us for decades.
Violations:
1) 25 CFR 11.448(b) and 25 CFR 11.443 (Abuse of Authority/Harassment by Federal Officials) – August 26, 2011 – Agency Resource Manager abuse of authority and discriminatory harassment on grazing permit holder; verbal confrontation involving law enforcement; regional director had opportunity to resolve the dispute through DOI Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) policy and administrative directive but failed ADR procedural requirements at the Agency level;
2) 55 BIAM Supplement 2 (1.2B) violations – Agency Range Management Specialist, having range science college degree, failed to produce range management plans. Agency required sheepherders with no education write simple goals and objectives, calling it conservation plans; abuse of federal trust responsibility.
3) Non-compliance to DOI Tribal Government-to-Government Relation Policy – In the spirit of government-to-government relationship BIA did not share trust responsibility for regulating the grazing of livestock and the administration of grazing permitting system and failed to support this federal but refused to accept District 18 DGC Resolution DGCM #18-01-05-09 that recommended further discussion of combining grazing permits;
4) Non-compliance 370 DM Chapter 770; Administrative Dispute Resolution PL 104-320; and 5 USC571: Navajo Region top management sends out information from OPM and DOI to its employees, but Region top administrators failed to abide by the rules themselves. 370 DM 770 provides guidelines for heads of Bureaus to provide employees with fair, equitable, and effective means for resolving workplace conflict/disputes at the earliest, at the lowest organizational level to help employees address concerns in the workplace to reduce destructive disputes; Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR);
5) 25 CFR 167.8(c) violation – Poor management and waste of tax money. May 7, 1991 – a) Agency Range Specialist failed to comply with 25 CFR 167.8(c) by approving second grazing permit with full knowledge that another permit is already in use. BIA accused permit holder violation of having two permits. Jerome Willie created the violation by issuing a second grazing permit in 1991 by failure to advise the Grazing Committee that two grazing permits violates 25 CFR 167.8(c). As technical advisor with years of experience, he is expected to know 25 CFR 167 grazing regulations. This issue became a major dispute case at Interior Board of Indian Appeals (IBIA);
6) Due Process Violation – BIA violated the 5th and 14th amendment of the U.S. Constitution; non-compliance with “due process” procedural requirements; deprived life, liberty, and property without due process of law; requirements are based on the concepts of fairness to resolve citizens’ complaints in fair and timely procedures; requires citizen deprived of civil rights given notice and opportunity for fair hearing on government’s action. Constitution states when government denies citizens of Constitution rights the person must be given notice and opportunity to be heard.
7) 25 CFR 162 (leasing and farm permit) and 25 USC 415 Violations Agency Resource Manager and former Agency Superintendent approved cancellations and transfer of irrigated farmland to LDS church as mission site without consulting Navajo Nation Council Resource Committee authority to rescind irrigated farm plot for other uses. Resources Committee is the tribal legislative body that authorized irrigated farmland through tribal legislation.
8) 25 CFR 167.6(b) – June 18, 1986 – Agency Range Management Specialist approved and issued grazing permit for less than 10 sheep units in violation of 25 CFR 167 NRGP Provisions #1 requirement; failed to ensure 25 CFR 167 NRGP Provisions #1 requirements are met before approval; and failed to conduct range condition assessment before re-issuing permit; and
9) 25 CFR 167.16 and Navajo Nation Code Title 3 713 Violation – Poor management and waste of American tax money. Regional director refused to take administrative action for Agency Range Management Specialist authorizing range fence construction by his supervisor’s family members; and Region failed to provide records of unauthorized range fences by family of top Region line-officer to justify Statement of Reasons for unauthorized fence construction.
Mr. BIA director, prove me wrong.
Nels Roanhorse
Oak Ridge, Ariz.
Water, power delay
Editor and Navajo Tribal Utility Authority,
I am writing to formally lodge a complaint regarding the ongoing delay in restoring utility services at my property in Crystal, N.M. We have been waiting for ten days to have services reinstated, and despite repeated follow-up calls from myself and my relatives, we continue to receive insufficient information and delays.
Regarding the water service, a crew recently brought out a backhoe and identified a break in the line. However, it remains unclear if a water sample was taken for testing or what the timeline is for the final repair. Simultaneously, the restoration of electricity has been stalled by repeated excuses regarding technical line checks.
This situation is particularly urgent as the services were originally disconnected following the passing of a relative, and the home now needs to be occupied again. It is frustrating to hear of requested rate hikes from NTUA when basic services are not being delivered promptly to residents.
Please provide an immediate update on the status of both the water and electric restorations and a definitive timeline for when these services will be fully operational.
I look forward to your prompt response.
Ryan Gauvin
Crystal, N.M.
AI can’t heal
Editor,
The use of AI at Navajo Health Care Centers may be seen as modernizing, but it is also a step backwards. There is no question that AI can improve equity, provide remote patient monitoring, upgrade records, and automate scheduling and screenings. However, AI cannot heal. AI cannot restore harmony. AI cannot restore balance to a patient’s physical, emotional and spiritual well-being.
When Stephan (Black Bear) LaBoueff was the service unit director at Crownpoint, he added a hogan for purification and healing ceremonies. Family and community members came together. Black Bear understood the differences between Western medicine and healing. At that time, health problems were increasing with the uranium mining boom. Being processed by AI is not the traditional Navajo way. Black Bear recently passed from lymphoma, but it was his hope that the IHS would be more conscious of traditional healing ways, tribal ways.
Kenneth Barnett Tankersley
Piqua Tribe of Alabama
Cold Spring, Ky.
Esther Yazzi-Lewis
Edgewood, N.M.
Energy and jobs
Editor,
Our Navajo Nation stands at a key moment – one defined by both challenge and opportunity when it comes to natural gas. As we continue to navigate the ongoing need for revenue, we must also recognize the unprecedented opportunities before us. Resource and Development’s vote for GreenView’s natural gas line to proceed did show we want our communities to move into a future of prosperity, energy security, and self-determination.
Across Navajo Nation, families continue to struggle with unemployment, limited access to basic utilities, and a lack of long-term economic pathways. Many of our young people leave home in search of opportunity, and too few return. These realities show us the urgency of creating new jobs, new revenue streams, and new infrastructure that lifts our people out of poverty.
We are witnessing historic regional growth. The Phoenix metropolitan area, one of the fastest-growing regions in the country, is experiencing a surge in energy demand driven by population growth, industrial expansion, and the rapid rise of data centers. These facilities require reliable, large-scale energy supplies, and the Navajo Nation is uniquely positioned to help meet that demand. Companies like GreenView are shifting their strategies to align with this regional growth, and the Navajo Nation has an opportunity to be a central partner in this transition because of the San Juan basin oil and gas of which a portion sits on Navajo land.
We must be willing to support responsible development. Navajo cannot afford to simply say “no” to every project that comes before us. Our chapters depend on revenue to operate senior centers and provide essential services. Community benefit funds from energy and infrastructure projects can meet many chapter’s needs. Without new revenue, chapters and the Nation will continue to struggle.
With RDC’s recent support they have recognized the opportunities before us is the expansion of natural gas infrastructure across the Navajo Nation. For the first time in our history, Navajo families might be able to heat their homes and cook with natural gas, something most Americans take for granted. NNOGC and NTUA have already demonstrated the capacity to build laterals to homes, but the reality is that only two major gas lines partially cross Navajo land. San Juan County Navajo natural gas workers are positioned to make that change. The capital cost of expanding natural gas lines is huge, and no tribal entity can shoulder that burden. Strategic partnerships supported by OPVP, Council, and regional allies are essential.
Approving the GreenView gas line is about ensuring that many Navajo families no longer rely on wood stoves, propane deliveries or unsafe heating methods. It is about creating jobs for Navajo workers. It also shows the Navajo Nation can plan, build, and complete major infrastructure projects that benefit our people for generations.
We know other tribes across the region are moving quickly to secure their economic futures. Those tribes look for support for collaborative energy development and want regional partnerships to strengthen sovereignty. The Navajo Nation must lead those conversations.
We have a chance to bring our young people home, create jobs for our skilled workers, strengthens chapter services, and position the Navajo Nation as a leader in energy and infrastructure development. By supporting responsible projects, investing in natural gas and broadband expansion, and ensuring that chapters receive meaningful community benefit funds, we can build a future where our people thrive.
It’s good our leadership, RDC, has chosen to support the development pathways that creates jobs, expands energy access, generates revenue for chapters, and demonstrates that the Navajo Nation is ready to lead in the region’s rapidly changing energy landscape. Our Navajo people deserve nothing less.
Alice Nelson Yazzie
Shiprock, N.M.
No safe water
Editor,
As a member of the Navajo Nation and a public health graduate student at New Mexico State University, I have seen firsthand how lack of access to safe and reliable drinking water continues to impact families across New Mexico and tribal communities. While many people assume this is a problem of the past, it remains a daily reality for households who must haul water or rely on unsafe sources for basic needs. This is not only an infrastructure issue. It is a public health crisis.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2022), inadequate access to clean water and sanitation increases the risk of infectious diseases such as gastrointestinal illness and contributes to long-term health disparities. Research also shows that many Native American households, including those in the Navajo Nation, are significantly more likely to lack complete plumbing compared to the general U.S. population (DigDeep & U.S. Water Alliance, 2019). These disparities highlight how environmental conditions directly influence health outcomes.
Growing up in a Navajo community, I have seen how water insecurity affects daily life, from limiting hygiene practices to increasing the burden on families who must travel long distances just to access water. These challenges are deeply rooted in historical underinvestment, geographic isolation, and policy neglect. From an epidemiological perspective, this represents a clear example of how environmental exposure increases disease risk in already vulnerable populations.
Addressing this issue requires more than temporary fixes. Public health emphasizes prevention, and ensuring access to safe water is one of the most effective upstream interventions available. Policymakers must prioritize funding for water infrastructure in tribal and rural communities, while also working in partnership with tribal leaders to implement sustainable and culturally appropriate solutions.
Access to clean water is a fundamental human right. As a community and as a state, we must do more to ensure that all New Mexicans – especially those in historically underserved communities – have the resources needed to live healthy lives. I urge local and state leaders to take immediate action to address this long-standing inequity.
Tifah Benally
Albuquerque, N.M.
Spring at MNA
Editor,
Spring is a time for growth and renewal. I invite you to make a visit to the Museum of Northern Arizona a part of your spring, as I most certainly will.
Our exhibitions and programs focus on expanding knowledge and inspiring creativity focused on the very special part of the world that is the Colorado Plateau. Many of our visitors tell us they come to the museum to learn something new, to be inspired, and to connect to heritage and community. Hearing that from our visitors makes my heart sing and inspires our staff in their efforts to bring life-enriching experiences to our communities.
I enjoy spending time in our galleries as well as our current changing exhibitions – Call of the Colorado Plateau, Wagon Road to Mother Road, Shifting Life Zones, and our rotating display of Katsintithu–Katsina Dolls. In addition to presenting these creative exhibitions, this month we offer a number of activities for engagement on a deeper level.
Later in April, MNA’s fine art curator, Alan Petersen, will present a talk on the inner-canyon works of Swedish-American artist Gunnar Widforss. Often called the Painter of the National Parks, Widforss stood apart from many of his contemporaries by venturing deep into the Grand Canyon to capture its lesser-known, dramatic landscapes. One of his inner-canyon paintings is currently on view in Call of the Colorado Plateau.
Each visit to the museum is a chance to connect with beauty, insight and meaning. Don’t miss the opportunity to visit again and again. All of us at MNA look forward to welcoming you.
Mary Kershaw
Executive director and CEO, Museum of Northern Arizona
Flagstaff, Ariz.
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