GALLUP — Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren signed 24 Intergovernmental Agreements (IGAs) with New Mexico Indian Affairs Department Cabinet Secretary Josett Monette on Thursday, July 16, advancing more than $11.5 million in infrastructure and community development funding for Navajo communities in New Mexico.
The agreements, totaling more than $11,564,700 and spanning fiscal years 2023 through 2025, will support projects benefiting 22 Navajo chapters. The signing marks significant progress in clearing longstanding agreements and moving critical state-funded projects closer to implementation.
“This is about getting projects across the finish line for our chapters and making sure our communities receive the investments they have been waiting for,” President Nygren said. “Over the past three and a half years, we have worked closely with Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s administration to resolve longstanding agreements and find solutions together. Today’s signing shows the progress we are making, and it gives our chapters in New Mexico more opportunities to move important projects forward.”
President Nygren signed the agreements during the New Mexico Indian Affairs Department’s Infrastructure Grants Session at the University of New Mexico-Gallup Calvin Hall Center. The all-day session brought Navajo chapter representatives together with state and Navajo Nation officials to discuss Capital Outlay and Tribal Infrastructure Fund processes, improve the processing of IGAs, and provide direct assistance for individual projects.
The 24 agreements will benefit the Lake Valley, Tse’ii’ahi, Crownpoint, Twin Lakes, Gadii’ahi-To’koi, Upper Fruitland, To’hajilee, Ramah, Whitehorse, Chichiltah, Manuelito, Thoreau, White Rock, Crystal, Naschitti, Tse Alnaozti’i’, Tooh Haltsooi, Tse’Daa’Kaan, Two Grey Hills, Torreon-Star Lake, Ojo Encino, and Tsa-Ya-Toh chapters.
Projects supported through the agreements include infrastructure and community improvements such as HVAC upgrades at Crystal Chapter, bathroom construction in the Whitehorse Lake area, and construction of a Veterans Memorial Park at Two Grey Hills, among other projects.
President Nygren emphasized that advancing these agreements is especially important for Navajo communities in New Mexico, where partnerships with the state help chapters address infrastructure needs, improve quality of life, and create opportunities for future economic and community development.
The signing also represents continued progress between the Navajo Nation and the State of New Mexico in addressing the backlog of IGAs. Secretary Monette noted that 30 IGAs have been processed since January, with the state working toward executing Fiscal Year 2027 agreements before the end of the year.
President Nygren thanked Secretary Monette, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, the New Mexico Indian Affairs Department, the Navajo Nation Division of Community Development, chapter officials and staff, and all those who have worked to move the agreements forward.
“I want to thank everyone who has remained committed throughout this process,” President Nygren said. “These projects move forward because of the dedication of our chapter officials, state partners and community leaders. We have made important progress, but we have to keep pushing forward, complete the projects already underway, and make sure the next round of agreements moves even more efficiently for our Navajo communities.”
Through the Tribal Infrastructure Act and other state funding mechanisms, IGAs provide a pathway for the Navajo Nation and the State of New Mexico to coordinate the planning, design, and construction of projects that strengthen infrastructure, support economic development, and improve the quality of life for Navajo families and communities.
