A bill introduced on August 29 by the Navajo tribe’s lawmaking body, Navajo Nation Council, is reviving a years-long controversy over development in the Grand Canyon. The bill would approve development of the Grand Canyon Escalade, a $1 billion project that calls for an amphitheater, gondola and assortment of restaurants, hotels and shops at the confluence of the Little Colorado and Colorado rivers, an undeveloped part of Navajo Nation that many tribal members consider sacred. If passed, the legislation would require the tribe to pay $65 million (likely by taking out a loan) to build roads and lay power lines for the development, as well lease 420 acres of land to Confluence Partners LLC, a private company based in Scottsdale, Arizona. The bill’s sponsor, Benjamin Bennett, couldn’t be reached for comment, but his legislation cites an “overwhelming” need for employment and economic development in the region, and claims that the Escalade project would bring in about 3,500 jobs. Navajo Nation would also receive 8 to 18 percent of Escalade’s gross revenue. The legislation was a gut-punch to environmental groups and tribal advocates, who oppose the development. They believed they’d caught a break last year, when Navajo Nation president Russell Begaye was elected. Begaye’s predecessor Ben Shelly had been a strong proponent of Escalade, but Begaye opposed it from the start. His election offered hope for Renae Yellowhorse and other members of Save the Confluence, a tribal coalition working to protect the area from development. Although no president has the power to halt the project outright, Yellowhorse hoped Begaye’s four-year term would buy enough time to convince the divided Navajo Nation Council that Escalade was shortsighted...more
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