RDC to review housing, wind power, major policy moves at Aug. 4 meeting
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The Navajo Nation Council’s Resources and Development Committee is set to meet at 10 a.m. to take up a packed agenda that includes tribal housing challenges, a proposed wind power project and legislation that could allow the Nation to be sued in federal court over environmental compliance.
The meeting, scheduled today, Aug. 4, at the Navajo Division of Transportation’s Senator John Pinto Board Room in Tse Bonito, New Mexico, will be chaired by Delegate Brenda Jesus with Vice Chairman Casey Allen Johnson.
Top on the agenda is a strategy report from the Navajo Housing Authority’s Board of Commissioners. Chairman Marcus Denetdale and Interim CEO Levon Henry are expected to present on a range of issues affecting housing development across the Nation, including proposed federal budget cuts, rising construction costs because of tariffs and reductions in federal employment. The NHA will also outline its new investment strategy and financial safeguards intended to maintain stability amid ongoing funding uncertainty.
Lawmakers will also hear a presentation from Michelle Henry of the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority on a potential wind energy project at Big Boquillas Ranch, which could expand the Nation’s renewable energy portfolio.
An executive session is scheduled to provide updates on operations at Antelope Point Marina. Officials from the Navajo Hospitality Enterprise, along with representatives from the Department of Economic Development and the Department of Justice, are expected to attend.
Mike Halona, the director of the Division of Natural Resources, is also scheduled to present an update on co-location agreements with Vertical Bridge involving Tier 1 and Tier 2 telecom infrastructure.
Two key legislative actions are on the table. One measure would confirm the appointment of Tommy Platero as the executive director of the Navajo Division of Transportation. The second would extend a limited waiver of sovereign immunity through September 2029, allowing the Navajo Nation to be sued in federal court on matters related to compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act. That legislation would also authorize the Navajo Nation president to sign environmental certification forms tied to U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development grants.
The committee is also expected to schedule three upcoming leadership meetings – one with the Division of Economic Development on business lease amendments and New Market Tax Credits on Aug. 26, another with the Hopi Tribe and U.S. Department of Energy on Aug. 27–28, and a third at Alamo Chapter on Aug. 29.
The committee’s next regular meeting is scheduled for Aug. 25.
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