Utah Approves $500K For Navajo Community Electricity Project
Mar 29, 2021, 3:38 PM | Updated: 10:04 pm
Sun behind powerlinesn (KSL TV)
(KSL TV)
BLANDING, Utah – The Utah Legislature and Gov. Spencer Cox provided $500,000 to help connect a Navajo Nation community to the Blanding, Utah, electric grid.
Navajo Nation President Johnathan Nez said the money will help 27 families in the 126-acre Westwater Subdivision.
“I appreciate Gov. Cox, Lt. Gov. Henderson, the Utah State Legislators, and Utah Division of Indian Affairs Director Dustin Jansen’s commitment to support the Westwater Subdivision. This community has many needs and this funding will move us forward on the path to providing electricity and water for our Navajo people that reside in the area,” Nez said. “We will continue to work with all of our partners to identify more funds, possibly through the American Rescue Plan Act, to complete these initiatives as soon as possible.”
Original funding for the project was returned to Utah to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
Navajo Nation moves a step closer to providing electricity to Navajo families residing in the Westwater Subdivision with $500,000 appropriation from Utah pic.twitter.com/4fD94NvqQQ
— Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez (@NNPrezNez) March 29, 2021
The Navajo Nation purchased the Westwater Subdivision in 1986.
Cox released a statement that said, “For too long, residents of the Westwater area have been lacking in a reliable source of electricity. We are pleased that the state Legislature has appropriated funding that will help bring much-needed power to this community. We applaud our partners in the Utah Navajo Trust, the Navajo Nation, Blanding City and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for their help in making this a reality.”
A news release said the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority started working with Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems and the city of Blanding to finish a plan that would connect the Westwater Subdivision to Blanding’s electric system.
