The Navajo Nation plans to tackle long-standing chemical and petroleum pollution on its land, focusing on abandoned industrial sites and a major former tribal business in a mountainous area.
On Thursday, Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren praised Navajo EPA Director Stephen Etsitty and council representative Andy Nez for their determination in obtaining approval of the Navajo Environmental Remediation Fund.
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“I remember Dr. Nez and Stephen coming to my office,” he said. “They threw on the table the figure of $500 million that will be needed for recovery. I am glad that we recognized the problem and that they have now come up with the solution.”
The recently established Remediation Fund, signed by Nygren, marks the first step toward this goal. It allocates 2% of the Navajo Nation’s projected revenues from its general fund, which could grow the fund by about $4.4 million annually based on fiscal year 2026 projections.
About 40 abandoned industrial and commercial sites across the Navajo Nation are in need of remediation. These sites include former trading posts, laundromats, gas stations, and the remarkably contaminated Navajo Forest Products Industries (NFPI) site in Navajo and Sawmill, New Mexico. Cleanup costs are estimated at more than $47.6 million.
“This fund will support the remediation of former businesses and industrial sites that are vacant or abandoned due to contamination and pose a public health risk to the Dine people, to natural resources such as groundwater, and to livestock,” said President Nygren.
Originally established as the nation’s first tribally owned enterprise, the NFPI site operated as a sawmill and chipboard facility. Built in a sawmill in 1939 and moved in 1960, closed in 1994, leaving behind contaminated soil and groundwater after years of exploitation. A 2021 soil survey at the site discovered high levels of harmful chemicals at various depths, including chromium, lead, diesel fuel, mercury and solvents. Groundwater tests also showed hexavalent chromium, a known carcinogen.
Although the fund’s annual contributions will not cover all estimated cleanup costs, Director Etsitty emphasized the importance of this investment, which allows for the prioritization of contaminated sites. The Navajo EPA has already completed assessments and contaminant removal efforts at multiple segments of the NFPI site, addressing asbestos and petroleum-contaminated soils.
Etsitty highlighted plans for the redevelopment of sites, envisioning these sites being transformed to meet the needs of the community.
“Across our country, that’s filling different needs in community locations for all types of our society, from our children to our elders,” he said. “This way the country can be redeveloped. What was there before it came out of the 20th century can be redeveloped.”
The Remediation Fund will provide sustainable financial support for long-term cleanup projects, reducing reliance on federal funding or litigation. Under the legislation, the Controller’s office is expected to establish the fund by October 7, 2025, so it can support the Navajo EPA’s cleanup operations at contaminated former business and industrial sites across the state.
“With this legislation, we are thinking about the future and building a healthier future for our people,” the president said.
The Navajo Nation is hopeful that by investing in environmental cleanup and redevelopment, they will pave the way for new community and economic opportunities over the next five to fifteen years.
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