Friday, August 22, 2014

Remote corner of Navajo Nation to get electricity thanks to business deal

Most people take electricity in their homes for granted, only missing it during the occasional power outage. But near Lake Powell, some families have been waiting decades to get electricity, and for some that wait is finally over. When Margie Tso drives a bumpy dirt road to the home where she raised eight kids, a giant power plant is always in the background. For almost 40 years, day and night, the Navajo Generating Station has sent electricity to cities as far away as Los Angeles but not to the Tsos’ tiny home 3 miles away. “There’s a phrase going around saying, 'Forgotten people,’” said Tso, who is part of the LeChee Chapter of the Navajo Nation. She and her family have made do over the years with a butane stove and a refrigerator that also operates on butane or with an electrical generator. “We were content,” Tso said. “We thought, ‘Well, that’s the way we were brought up.’” This year, power lines are being connected to 62 remote homes. Homes can't be wired directly to a high-voltage power plant. It's the tribal utility's responsibility to run those lines to the homes. But some say the tribe never made it a priority in this remote corner of the reservation near Lake Powell. “I think if it was a priority with the tribe, I think maybe it could have gotten done a little sooner,” said Wilford Lane, manager of the LeChee Chapter of the Navajo Nation. But times are changing on the Navajo reservation. “Students need to use computers for their homework,” Lane said. He helped set up a partnership with the power plant owners. They're even electrifying distinctly non-modern homes, the kinds of places where generations have lived without electricity...more

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