A delegate to the Navajo Nation indicated that the tribe would drop its objections to air tours over or near its lands in exchange for economic incentives. In testimony before the U.S. House natural resources oversight and investigations subcommittee yesterday, Carl Slater, a Navajo Nation Council delegate, enumerated a list of tribal, cultural, and environmental objections to air tourism, including disruption of wildlife, desecration of sacred sites, and interruption of native ceremonies. But he indicated that such objections could be dealt with given the proper incentives.
“If you want to win over tribal support for air tours in and around tribal lands, ensure tribes participate in the economic benefits,” Slater said. “Currently there is almost no economic benefit to the Navajo people from air tourism despite the hundreds of millions of dollars generated by this industry adjacent to the Navajo Nation.”
Slater suggested a potential basket of incentives air tour operators could offer, including hiring native guides, reserving a set percentage of flights for native-owned businesses, and paying a tribal overflight tax. Slater maintained, “The only way to proceed is to ensure tribes shape air tour management plans and reap an economic return from these tours.”
Slater’s suggestions drew the ire of subcommittee member Troy Nehls (R-Texas). “This is about money—bottom line,” he said. “What they [the Navajo Nation] are trying to say is, ‘We want a piece of the pie.’ If we gave them some, maybe all this environmental stuff really won’t matter anymore.” Nehls pointed out that the tribe had constructed four casinos on land that could be considered environmentally sensitive, leaving a far larger footprint than any air tour.
The subcommittee hearing focused on the impact of the proposed Air Tour Management Plans (ATMPs) drafted by the National Park Service (NPS) and the FAA. Many of the plans have been criticized as being overly restrictive and, in certain areas, either banning tours altogether or limiting operations to the point where continued air tours are uneconomical. The NPS maintains that the plans are necessary to limit noise and other environmental impacts at national parks and monuments, including objections from native tribes.