Yá étééh John ,

Daylene Redhorse here, writing to you from San Juan County. Some of you have seen our emails asking you to reach out to Senator John Curtis to protect the Inflation Reduction Act, which includes the energy tax credits and all federal grant programs, among others. Last summer, I spent over a month collecting survey responses from my community for our Community Change Grant application– talking with over 300 Navajo Nation residents about the needs they might have to improve their home weatherization. The response was overwhelmingly positive with most community members showing a lot of enthusiasm and support for home improvements in their community. Sadly, this grant is one of the many that could be lost if the Inflation Reduction Act is cut from the federal budget this year. My community and I need your help to contact Senator John Curtis, one of four senators with the power to protect this grant, and ask him to save the Inflation Reduction Act.

My Diné community is surrounded by some of the most beautiful places in Utah. Stunning red, orange, and purple monuments greet us every day. The San Juan river rushes along our Nation, nurturing our livestock and gardens. Unfortunately, my community is also deeply impacted by climate change. 

The view from a home on Navajo Nation.

Families here pay nearly 9% of their income on energy—three times the national average. Most homes here have never been weatherized and, as a result, produce hundreds of pounds of excess pollution. Outdated wood stoves and drafty structures trap smoke indoors, contributing to increased asthma rates. Around 15% of adults within the seven chapters of Navajo Nation that overlap with Utah experience asthma that is either instigated or worsened due to air pollution and/or heat. When wildfire smoke rolls in or summer temperatures exceed 110 degrees—as they did last July— my community has little protection.

Over the last year, several homes have burned down due to poor quality woodburning stoves or stove chimney pipes. An elder passed away who would burn coal because he could no longer haul wood for himself, and couldn’t get help to weatherize his mobile home. Many families are put on waiting lists when they request help due to lack of funds from the state and the chapters. These stories are rampant, and while we do have several organizations working to provide wood and support our elders, that alone is not enough. Our goal with the Community Change Grant is to uplift Diné families, create jobs, weatherize homes, and replace wood burning stoves with healthier alternatives. We have an opportunity to create massive change down here, and we are not giving up. 

As Congress debates the FY2025 Budget Reconciliation bill this week, we need to let Senator John Curtis know that Utahns want one of the biggest pieces of climate legislation this country has ever seen to be protected. If Congress fails to support full funding for clean energy and environmental justice programs in the reconciliation bill, this opportunity will disappear.

Without funding, none of this changes. No new HVAC technicians will be trained. No homes will be upgraded. No air quality monitors will be installed. And the chance to finally bring long-overdue infrastructure investment to this part of the state—fueled by the very taxpayer dollars Utahns already contributed—will be lost to another year of political neglect.

This is not just about clean energy. It’s about justice. It’s about health. It’s about ensuring that children and elders in our tribal communities can breathe safe air and live in homes that keep them cool in the summer and warm in the winter. It’s about ensuring that Utah doesn’t miss out—again—on federal funds meant to lift up our most underserved regions.

The FY2025 Budget Reconciliation bill must protect and fully fund the Inflation Reduction Act’s clean energy and environmental justice provisions. We cannot afford to leave my community and others like it behind.

Another remote home on Navajo Nation.

Thank you for taking the time to advocate for protecting the Inflation Reduction Act at a time when it feels like there are constant calls to action regarding the federal government. For my community, despite the everyday struggles, we look to the beauty of our Mother Earth for security, strength, and by being at the center of our sacred mountains we call home. I urge you to also find time to go outside and find strength with the land as we press on to protect our communities, climate, and more.

Onwards,

Daylene Redhorse,

San Juan County Organizer

[email protected]

www.stewardshiputah.org

P.S.  Don’t live in UT? Reach out to your Senator and/or Representative and tell them to protect the IRA.