Navajo Nation president urged to reject lease for power plant

Friday, February 25, 2011  

Navajo Nation President Ben Shelly is being urged by a former rival to veto a lease for a coal-fired power plant on the New Mexico portion of the reservation.

Shelly, who took office in January, is considering a deal that would give the tribe $7 million a year for 25 years. State Sen. Lynda Lovejoy (D), who ran against Shelly, says the money isn't enough.

"We are all unaware of how they arrived at $7 million," Lovejoy said in a letter to Shelly, The Farmington Daily Times reported. "That just doesn't sound like a good business deal."

Shelly hasn't made a decision on the lease, which was approved by the Navajo Nation Council earlier this month.

The Four Corners Power Plant is located near Farmington.

Get the Story:
Legislator blasts power plant lease extension (The Farmington Daily Times 2/25)

Navajo Nation Council backs lease extension for power plant (2/17)