By Marley Shebala

Dine’ Bureau WINDOW ROCK — Proposed Navajo Nation Council Naa’bik’iyati’ Committee legislation to
oppose fracking on the reservation brought the Navajo Nation Oil and Gas Company
before the committee to talk about fracking Thursday.

Navajo Oil and Gas Acting CEO Louis Denetsosie informed the Naa’bik’iyati’ Committee
that the company acquired and paid a lot of money to the tribe for oil and gas
leases.

“We paid bonuses of $18.5 million and we spent over $20 million on oil wells,”
Denetsosie said. “And those assets will be stranded if there is an absolute
prohibition on hydraulic fracking.”

He added that all the helium in the tribe’s ground would also be abandoned.

William McCabe, petroleum engineer for Navajo Oil and Gas, reported to committee
that helium is included in the 3 billion-5 billion barrels of oil in the San Juan
Basin Gallup Mancos Shale Reservoir and Desert Creek Formation in Utah.

McCabe said there are only six places in the world that have helium, and the
reservation is “blessed” to be one of those places.

He explained that helium has significant value in the medical and high technology
fields.

McCabe emphasized that with horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing technology,
the tribe stands to gain a significant increase in prosperity through energy
resource development.

Denetsosie noted to Council Delegate Jonathan Hale that the company wants to work
with him.

Anti-fracking bill

Hale is sponsoring a bill, Legislation 0121-16, which seeks to oppose hydraulic
fracking within the reservation.

“We understand the language of the legislation is pretty absolute,” Denetsosie said.
“When we read it, it says the speaker, president and the chief justice will have to
take a position opposing hydraulic fracking. If that’s not the case, then we can
work with that.”

Hale responded, “You know I understand the circumstances of making money for our
Nation government and people in the form of revenues. But in every presentation
since I’ve been a delegate, I think those things have always been rubbed in the face
of leadership. If you don’t do this, this is what is going to happen. Scare tactic.”

Hale added, “I think we should all be humane about this and bring out all the other
issues as well because it’s a health situation. If there are other measures to be
addressed, environmental or socially, let’s bring out those issues and fix those
issues.”

Accountability

Hale noted the tribe recently held the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
accountable for the Gold King Mine spill, so who should the tribe hold accountable
for any contamination of the land and health issues from horizontal drilling and
hydraulic fracking that might surface in 10-30 years?

According to Hale’s bill, the United States has more than 500,000 active natural gas
wells and each well requires an average of 400 water tanker trucks to supply the
site. It takes about 1 million-8 million gallons of water to complete each well.

The water is mixed with sand and chemicals to create the fracking fluid, which
consists of 600 chemicals. The chemicals include lead, uranium, mercury, ethylene,
glycol, radium, methanol and formaldehyde.

The fracturing fluid is then injected into the ground through a drilled pipeline and
once the mixture reaches the end of the well, the high pressure causes the nearby
shale rock to crack, creating fissures where natural gas flows into the well.

“So how is NOG protecting itself?” Hale asked. “Are you guys ready to assume
responsibility?”

He also asked the Navajo Oil and Gas officials about the companies that they
contract with because he’s received reports from community members in eastern Navajo
about trucks associated with oil and gas activities barreling down roads and pushing
school buses and vehicles driven by elders off the road.

Hale noted all these issues with hydraulic fracking came out of the “woodwork”
because of his legislation.

The bill requires final action by the Naa’bik’iyati’ Committee, but first it must go
before the Health, Education and Human Services Committee and the Resources and
Development Committee.

Health, Education and Human Services has the bill on its Tuesday agenda. The
committee is scheduled to meet in the Office of Dine’ Youth Center conference room
in Fort Defiance.

The Naa’bik’iyati’ Committee is scheduled to meet in the Council chambers May 26.