- Details
- By Native News Online Staff
NAVAJO MINE, N.M. — Last Friday, 375 tons of coal were loaded in 23 trucks bound for dozens of Navajo communities. Navajo Transitional Energy Company (NTEC) and North American Bisti Fuels combined efforts to ensure Navajo families stay warm this winter.
The closure of Kayenta Mine in northern Arizona last November created a large void to Navajo families that depended on the mine for warming their homes. As a result, the community relations teams from NTEC and Bisti Fuels created the Community Heating Resource Program (CHRP).
The CHRP program provides free coal at the Navajo Mine to all Navajo chapters and their members. The chapters determine who receives the coal. The program has been in place for three years, but with the closure of Kayenta Mine, NTEC realized the program needed to be dramatically expanded.
To date, more than 3,000 families from 85 Navajo chapters and four Hopi villages are staying warm this winter season because of the program that provides free coal.
On Friday, Navajo Nation Speaker Seth Damon coordinated with NTEC, Bisti Fuels and Navajo Engineering and Construction Authority to dramatically increase the quantity of coal available to the Chapters. Speaker Damon arranged for the provision of bulk transportation deliver coal to Navajo chapters through the Navajo Nation’s new Navajo Chapter Coal Project.
Speaker Damon commended NTEC for providing Navajo families with coal from Navajo Mine. He said the project will prepare Navajo elders and others for the coming winter storms.
"The 24th Navajo Nation Council and NTEC are working together in this unique project," Damon said, "We also appreciate the other partners, including NECA, Bisti Fuels and North American Coal Company.”
“NTEC is pleased to support the expanded delivery of free thermal coal to the Navajo people today, and throughout the winter season,” NTEC CEO Clark Moseley said. “We realize that coal is still a crucial heating resource on the Navajo Nation. We want to do our part to help the elderly, children and families stay warm this winter.”
Friday’s distribution was the largest single day distribution of free coal for Navajo communities, said Andy Hawkins, community relations manager for Bisti Fuels.
Chapters that want to participate can contact Cortasha Upshaw at (505) 278-8625 or [email protected] or Andy Hawkins at (505) 598-2892 or at [email protected]
More Stories Like This
Native News Weekly (August 25, 2024): D.C. BriefsUS Presidents in Their Own Words Concerning American Indians
Native News Weekly (August 4, 2024): D.C. Briefs
Seattle Seahawks Tackle Preservation Projects at Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center for Annual Day of Service
Native News Weekly (June 15, 2025): D.C. Briefs
Help us tell the stories that could save Native languages and food traditions
At a critical moment for Indian Country, Native News Online is embarking on our most ambitious reporting project yet: "Cultivating Culture," a three-year investigation into two forces shaping Native community survival—food sovereignty and language revitalization.
The devastating impact of COVID-19 accelerated the loss of Native elders and with them, irreplaceable cultural knowledge. Yet across tribal communities, innovative leaders are fighting back, reclaiming traditional food systems and breathing new life into Native languages. These aren't just cultural preservation efforts—they're powerful pathways to community health, healing, and resilience.
Our dedicated reporting team will spend three years documenting these stories through on-the-ground reporting in 18 tribal communities, producing over 200 in-depth stories, 18 podcast episodes, and multimedia content that amplifies Indigenous voices. We'll show policymakers, funders, and allies how cultural restoration directly impacts physical and mental wellness while celebrating successful models of sovereignty and self-determination.
This isn't corporate media parachuting into Indian Country for a quick story. This is sustained, relationship-based journalism by Native reporters who understand these communities. It's "Warrior Journalism"—fearless reporting that serves the 5.5 million readers who depend on us for news that mainstream media often ignores.
We need your help right now. While we've secured partial funding, we're still $450,000 short of our three-year budget. Our immediate goal is $25,000 this month to keep this critical work moving forward—funding reporter salaries, travel to remote communities, photography, and the deep reporting these stories deserve.
Every dollar directly supports Indigenous journalists telling Indigenous stories. Whether it's $5 or $50, your contribution ensures these vital narratives of resilience, innovation, and hope don't disappear into silence.
The stakes couldn't be higher. Native languages are being lost at an alarming rate. Food insecurity plagues many tribal communities. But solutions are emerging, and these stories need to be told.
Support independent Native journalism. Fund the stories that matter.
Levi Rickert (Potawatomi), Editor & Publisher
