Developers are increasingly looking at tribal land as an easy way around the rules — and the LeChee Chapter of the Navajo Nation is living it right now. Last fall, officials in Page, Arizona quietly approved the sale of a 500-acre parcel near Horseshoe Bend to Huntley LLC, clearing the way for a 1-gigawatt data center just a mile from one of the most visited landmarks in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. The catch: this massive facility sits only about five miles from the LeChee Chapter, a Navajo Nation community already living through a severe drought.

Data centers use enormous amounts of water to keep their servers cool, and LeChee Chapter President Irene Whitekiller has said plainly what that means for her community: "Water is precious to us... [it] is used for everything, like with holy water in church and traditional ceremonies," according to KOTA News. The LeChee Chapter has already passed a resolution opposing Page's decision, but the city moved forward anyway — without the tribal nation's voice carrying real weight in the outcome.

This isn't an isolated case. Across the country, developers are drawn to tribal land precisely because it can mean fewer regulatory hurdles than state or local jurisdictions — and Native communities are left to fight for a say in decisions made about the water and land next door to them.

Tribal sovereignty means tribal nations deserve a real seat at the table on projects that threaten their water and land. Sign the petition to demand Page, Arizona and Huntley LLC halt this project until the LeChee Chapter's concerns are fully addressed — before the water runs out.