Agency Milestone Date of 05/22/2026 for Issuance of a Final EA (Agency Action) has passed by 1 business days
Description:
This milestone is for an Environmental Assessment for Phase II of the Navajo Nation Department of Education (NN DOE). The proposed project would serve the 11 Navajo communities; starting with San Juan Chapter, Bloomfield to Counselor and Huerfano, Crownpoint, Lake Valley, White Rock, Becenti, Rock Springs, Bread Springs, Casamero Lake, Churchrock, Pinedale, Mariano Lake, and Pueblo Pintado. SWC will acquire the right of way for the proposed buried fiber optic broadband cable. Total dimensions of the proposed right of way, generally within the existing highway right of ways, would be 101.81 miles long, 539,449.75 feet long, 20 feet wide, encompassing 242.47 total acres Navajo trust, Indian allotted, and BIA government track land.
Milestones:
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Monthly Status Report for July 2026:July 2026 Non-conformance report for the Bureau of Indian Affairs on the Environmental Assessment for the Navajo Nation Department of Education E-Rate Funded Broadband Project.The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) continues to provide direct assistance to the Applicant in order to get the information needed to complete the environmental assessment (EA) document. The Applicant is still in the process of finalizing their survey plats for the project -- changes to the proposed route have occurred or are still being considered by the Applicant. During a recent working session, BIA provided a revised Table 1 to provide clarity on the beginning- and endpoints based on the survey plats that are available so far. The Applicant has updated the EA with this table. BIA is working to annotate the rest of the EA and verify the Cultural and Biological Compliance Forms. Revisions to the cultural survey were required on the 'Pinedale' and 'Casamero' segments and the revised Cultural Resource Compliance Forms are forthcoming. The Applicant is working to address comments provided by the Bureau of Land Management Rio Puerco and Farmington Field Office's on 6/17/26 and 6/24/26, respectively.
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Non-conformance Explanation:Explanation of non-conformance Action: Environmental Assessment (EA)Responsible Agency: Department of the InteriorBureau: Bureau of Indian AffairsAction Status: In ProgressAction Identifier: NN DOE Phase IIExplanation: The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) could not meet the target deadline of 5/22/2026 for the dashboard Milestone ‘Issuance of a Final EA (Agency Action)’ on the Navajo Nation Department of Education E-Rate Funded Broadband Project. The draft environmental assessment (EA), as submitted, includes critical inaccuracies and inconsistencies making it deficient for federal authorizations. BIA is actively working with the proponent to address these issues and is coordinating reviews with partner agencies (Bureau of Land Management and Bureau of Reclamation) to finalize the document. BIA intends to finalize the document within 30 days.
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Monthly Status Report for July 2026:July 2026 Non-conformance report for the Bureau of Indian Affairs on the Environmental Assessment for the Navajo Nation Department of Education E-Rate Funded Broadband Project.The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) continues to provide direct assistance to the Applicant in order to get the information needed to complete the environmental assessment (EA) document. The Applicant is still in the process of finalizing their survey plats for the project -- changes to the proposed route have occurred or are still being considered by the Applicant. During a recent working session, BIA provided a revised Table 1 to provide clarity on the beginning- and endpoints based on the survey plats that are available so far. The Applicant has updated the EA with this table. BIA is working to annotate the rest of the EA and verify the Cultural and Biological Compliance Forms. Revisions to the cultural survey were required on the 'Pinedale' and 'Casamero' segments and the revised Cultural Resource Compliance Forms are forthcoming. The Applicant is working to address comments provided by the Bureau of Land Management Rio Puerco and Farmington Field Office's on 6/17/26 and 6/24/26, respectively.
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Non-conformance Explanation:Explanation of non-conformance Action: Environmental Assessment (EA)Responsible Agency: Department of the InteriorBureau: Bureau of Indian AffairsAction Status: In ProgressAction Identifier: NN DOE Phase IIExplanation: The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) could not meet the target deadline of 5/22/2026 for the dashboard Milestone ‘Issuance of a Final EA (Agency Action)’ on the Navajo Nation Department of Education E-Rate Funded Broadband Project. The draft environmental assessment (EA), as submitted, includes critical inaccuracies and inconsistencies making it deficient for federal authorizations. BIA is actively working with the proponent to address these issues and is coordinating reviews with partner agencies (Bureau of Land Management and Bureau of Reclamation) to finalize the document. BIA intends to finalize the document within 30 days.
All dates below are specific to the schedule of the Environmental Review and Permitting processes for this project.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW AND PERMITTING STATUS
IN PROGRESS
ESTIMATED COMPLETION DATE OF ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW AND PERMITTING
10/19/2026
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW AND PERMITTING PROCESSES
COMPLETED
SECTOR
Broadband
CATEGORY
Project Category
FAST-41 Covered Projects
LEAD AGENCY
Department of the Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs
View FAST-41 Postings by Agencies
Other Agencies with Actions or Authorizations:
Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service
Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation
Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management
Description:
The Navajo Nation Department of Education proposes to deploy a reliable, affordable, scalable,
and future-proofed broadband network that bridges the digital divide for the foreseeable future in some of the most remote, isolated, high-cost, and difficult to serve areas of the United States. The Navajo Nation Department of Education E-Rate Funded Broadband Project consists of constructing approximately 323 miles of middle mile fiber optic network on the Navajo Nation to connect 17 Head Start entities and 33 libraries with high-speed Internet connectivity to speeds of 1 Gbps or greater.
The Executive Director granted a Bureau of Indian Affairs request to extend the NEPA; Section 106; Right-of-Way (BLM); Right-of-Way (BIA); Use Authorization (BOR); and Endangered Species Act (FWS) completion dates on March 31, 2025. The Executive Director determination is posted here.
The project proponent is developing the project in phases. Phase I would provide internet service from Ya’ta’hey to San Juan Chapter, New Mexico, as considered in the Ya’ta’hey to San Juan Chapter, New Mexico Fiber Optic Broadband Cable Navajo Nation Division of Education Environmental Assessment (EA-26-012726). Phase II of the proposed project would serve the 11 Navajo communities; starting with San Juan Chapter, Bloomfield to Counselor and Huerfano, Crownpoint, Lake Valley, White Rock, Becenti, Rock Springs, Bread Springs, Casamero Lake, Churchrock, Pinedale, Mariano Lake, and Pueblo Pintado.
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Monthly Status Report for July 2026:July 2026 Non-conformance report for the Bureau of Indian Affairs on the Environmental Assessment for the Navajo Nation Department of Education E-Rate Funded Broadband Project.The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) continues to provide direct assistance to the Applicant in order to get the information needed to complete the environmental assessment (EA) document. The Applicant is still in the process of finalizing their survey plats for the project -- changes to the proposed route have occurred or are still being considered by the Applicant. During a recent working session, BIA provided a revised Table 1 to provide clarity on the beginning- and endpoints based on the survey plats that are available so far. The Applicant has updated the EA with this table. BIA is working to annotate the rest of the EA and verify the Cultural and Biological Compliance Forms. Revisions to the cultural survey were required on the 'Pinedale' and 'Casamero' segments and the revised Cultural Resource Compliance Forms are forthcoming. The Applicant is working to address comments provided by the Bureau of Land Management Rio Puerco and Farmington Field Office's on 6/17/26 and 6/24/26, respectively.
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Non-conformance Explanation:Explanation of non-conformance Action: Environmental Assessment (EA)Responsible Agency: Department of the InteriorBureau: Bureau of Indian AffairsAction Status: In ProgressAction Identifier: NN DOE Phase IIExplanation: The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) could not meet the target deadline of 5/22/2026 for the dashboard Milestone ‘Issuance of a Final EA (Agency Action)’ on the Navajo Nation Department of Education E-Rate Funded Broadband Project. The draft environmental assessment (EA), as submitted, includes critical inaccuracies and inconsistencies making it deficient for federal authorizations. BIA is actively working with the proponent to address these issues and is coordinating reviews with partner agencies (Bureau of Land Management and Bureau of Reclamation) to finalize the document. BIA intends to finalize the document within 30 days.