UA News

The High Country News and the UA School of Journalism will host a discussion on energy production and environmentalism in northern Arizona Jan. 27 on campus.

High Country News, the 40-year-old chronicler of the American West, and the University of Arizona School of Journalism will team up this month to present a lively panel discussion on one of the hottest issues confronting Native tribes in the Southwest: Energy.

"Power Struggle: A dialogue on energy, environmental activism and the role of the media on the Navajo and Hopi Nations" will be held Jan. 27, starting at 7 p.m. in the Student Union Memorial Center's South Ballroom, 1303 E. University Blvd.

High Country News Editor Jonathan Thompson will moderate the event, which is free and open to the public and will be followed by refreshments and conversation with the panelists.

For decades, coal mines and power plants have created large footprints – ecological, economic and political – on the Navajo and Hopi nations in northern Arizona. Companies such as Peabody Energy and BHP Billiton, with support from the tribal governments, want to continue that legacy but are running into resistance from a new generation of activists who are pushing for a greener energy economy.

Last summer, these activists convinced the Navajo Nation Council to create the Navajo Green Economy Commission to support the creation of hundreds of green jobs on the Navajo Nation.

Last September, the Hopi Tribal Council pushed back, banning environmental groups from working on the reservations. Navajo Nation Tribal President Joe Shirley Jr. backed the ban and extended it to his own nation. The move was greeted by media fanfare nationwide.

The discussion at the UA will explore the story behind the headlines.

"As educators who strive to teach our students the fundamental skills of good journalism, we are excited to host an event that will bring together working journalists and some of the key players shaping an important story of our time," said Jacqueline Sharkey, who directs the UA's journalism school.

Featured panelists include award-winning journalists Marley Shebala of the Navajo Times, Andy Bessler of the Sierra Club, Dennis Wagner of The Arizona Republic, Wahleah Johns, Black Mesa Water Coalition and Tony Skrelunas of the Grand Canyon Trust.

Others who have been invited are Nada Talayumptewa from the Hopi Tribal Council and Vernon Masayesva from Black Mesa Water Trust. Representatives from Peabody Energy also have been invited.

"Behind every intriguing environmental story there is an equally intriguing political, economic and cultural story," said High Country News publisher Paul Larmer.

"Perhaps no narrative in the American West better exemplifies this than the ongoing saga of energy development on the Hopi and Navajo Nations," Larmer said. "Every issue facing our region – water, corporate power, air pollution, culture clash, collaboration – can be found there."

High Country News was founded in 1970 by Wyoming rancher Tom Bell. Today, the nonprofit media organization is based in Paonia, Colo., where it produces a magazine 22 times a year and manages a Web site with fresh daily content.

The University of Arizona School of Journalism is one of the few programs in the country teaching only journalism in a curriculum that combines the intellectual foundation and professional skills that are essential for journalists working in the global information age. It offers a bachelor's, master's and two dual degrees in journalism.