Former Navajo Nation Chairman Peter MacDonald said the tribe needs to stand up to Peabody Coal and every other corporation that is seeking to exploit natural resources on the reservation.
MacDonald said current tribal leaders appear to be bending to the will of Peabody in a dispute over the operation of coal mines on the reservation. "Everybody starts shaking in their boots and then they say, 'OK, what else do you want?'" he told a Navajo water rights group, The Gallup Independent.
But instead of coming from a position of weakness, the tribe should be proactive, MacDonald said. He said if Peabody isn't willing to pay for the use of Navajo assets, the company should "go fly a kite."
MacDonald supports the jobs and revenues generated by the mines. But he said the promise of employment and money is being used to back the tribe into corners.
Get the Story:'Tell Peabody to fly a kite' (The Gallup Independent 5/3) Relevant Links:
Hopi Tribe - http://www.hopi.nsn.us
Navajo Nation - http://www.navajo.org
Peabody Energy - http://www.peabodyenergy.com
Southern California Edison - http://www.sce.com Related Stories:
Hopi Tribe, Navajo Nation seek deal with power plant (03/28)
Hopi Tribe, Navajo Nation seek to reopen mines (03/14)
Navajos, Hopis out of work as mine shuts down (01/04)
Former Hopi chair: Hopis force action on Peabody (11/03)
Hopi chairman warns of losses due to plant closure (03/24)
DOI office concludes field hearings on Peabody permit (01/20)
Supreme Court takes action on Indian law cases (01/11)
Decision could keep power plant open past 2005 (12/15)
Top Interior official resigns from Bush administration (12/08)
Peabody takes coal lease dispute to high court (12/01)
Tribes will be hardest hit by power plant closure (10/19)
Company agrees to fund Black Mesa water study (10/14)
Tribes fear shutdown of Peabody's coal mines (08/17)
Peabody loses another round in Navajo coal lease fight (06/16)
Tribes seek conditional permit for generation station (6/15)
Grassroots battle against Peabody sees success (06/07)
Judge won't dismiss Navajo Nation suit against Peabody (04/27)
Peabody continues top-level access at Interior (03/17)
Court opens window for Navajo Nation trust suit (10/27)
Peabody seeks to dismiss Navajo Nation claim (06/18)
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Supreme Court's trust rulings criticized (4/14)
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Effects of Supreme Court decision debated (03/07)
High court ruling makes 'passive' trustee of U.S. (3/5)
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Supreme Court issues trust decisions (3/4)
Swimmer can't recall Navajo involvement (02/13)
Panel predicts Apache victory (12/4)
Navajo 'deception' gets Supreme Court hearing (12/03)
Peabody sides with Bush administration on trust (09/04)
Legal tactics land Peabody in hot seat (7/22)
Navajo royalty case accepted (6/4)
Don Hodel's Navajo Folly (6/4)
Supreme Court accepts Navajo trust case (6/3)
Navajo royalty case up for review (5/30)
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