June 07, 2008

Yazzies vs. Navajo utility

'Extreme Makeover' family, NTUA dispute power creditsIn March of last year, hundreds of volunteers converged on the Yazzies' land in Pinon, demolishing the dilapidated single-wide trailer the family called home and replacing it with a beautiful double hogan.

ABC filmed the process for its "Extreme Makeover" show. It proved to be one of the most popular episodes ever, focusing on 16-year-old Garrett Yazzie, who had placed seventh in a national science competition with his design for a solar space and water heater. The show was just rerun Sunday.

It was the show's first-ever "green build," designed to be energy efficient and solar-powered.

In fact, the large solar collectors, combined with a wind turbine, were predicted to produce more power than the Yazzies would need, with the excess power routed back into the NTUA grid.

NTUA's Chinle District manager Daniel Wauneka had said NTUA would credit the Yazzies for the power their system put back into the grid.

But Georgia Yazzie said that hasn't happened.

3 comments:

dmarks said...

Reminds me of when the MHA Nation was promised free electricity in exchange for giving up their best land in the 1950s.

No volts. Still waiting.

CanadianWolverine said...

Was there ever a follow up on this story? Did they get the credits yet?

Rob said...

I posted the last news I heard about it in Makeover House Needs Makeover.