Interesting Article on Power Line Dispute in Northern New Mexico

Filling in a hole, apparently:

At a BLM hearing in Hernandez north of Española on Wednesday night, many non-pueblo speakers expressed sadness or anger over Pojoaque, Santa Clara and Ohkay Owingeh taking unspecified payments from Hunt to allow the line to cross their lands.

...Jan Brooks of Santa Fe said, “I’m dismayed that the pueblo community would capitulate to something so obscene” in return for money for rights of way or leases from Hunt. “This is a corridor to Bandelier (National Monument)” and the route runs near San Ildefonso Pueblo’s landmark and sacred Black Mesa, she said, although it would not cross San Ildefonso land.

Santa Clara Pueblo Gov. J. Michael Chavarria, speaking late in the evening, noted what he called “the negative energy” in the room at Hernandez Community Center.

He said the Santa Clara tribal council has supported the project for five years and that it was important for his pueblo to engage in economic development to benefit social services, education for its children and elder programs.

“We understand that there will be visual consequences,” he said, to some gasps among the crowd. But he asked, “How much have we (the pueblo) lost? Who has been here first? What have we given up? Talk about fences – we only have 55,000 acres that we can call home.”