Company History

In the 1920’s, oil resource development began on the Navajo Nation. In 1923, a Navajo tribal government was established primarily for the Bureau of Indian Affairs to approve lease agreements with American oil companies, who were eager to begin oil operations on Navajo lands.

In 1933, Congress enlarged the Navajo Reservation with the Aneth Extension located in southeast Utah. The discovery of oil at Aneth and Montezuma Creek occurred in 1956, and since that time, oil companies have drilled 577 wells and pumped an estimated 428 million barrels of oil.

In January of 1992, Navajo Nation Chairman Peterson Zah’s administration issued a Navajo Nation Energy Policy. The policy was formulated with input from energy specialists, environmentalists, economic development specialists, lawyers, and political leaders of the Navajo Nation. The Navajo Nation Energy Policy observed that the Navajo Nation was resource rich, but it was neither obtaining proper value for its minerals nor, more importantly, participating in the energy industry as a business owner.

After 70 years of American oil companies conducting business activities on tribal lands, the Navajo Nation formed their own corporation, the Navajo Nation Oil and Gas Co., Inc. (NNOGC, Inc. or tribal company) under the 1993 Navajo Nation Corporation Code. This tribal corporation was created for the purpose of engaging in oil and gas production as a fully integrated, for-profit entity.

NNOGC opened a small office in Window Rock AZ and the first NNOGC Board of Directors consisted of four Navajos and two non-Navajo businessmen from the oil and gas industry. In 1995, Navajo Nation crude oil was being marketing by NNOGC. Initially, NNOGC was started using a $500,000 grant from the Navajo Division of Economic Development, but within three years (1996) the initial investment was repaid.

By 1997, the Navajo Nation Council approved a Federal Charter of Incorporation for NNOGC under Section 17 of the Indian Reorganization Act. By December 1997, the U.S. Secretary of Interior issued a Charter of Incorporation. On February 5, 1998 the Navajo Nation Council ratified the Charter. In that same year, the merger of the NNOGC tribal corporation and the NNOGC federal corporation was completed and today, NNOGC is a federal entity.

Since its creation, NNOGC has acquired and now operates an 87-mile crude oil pipeline, acquired and is continuing to acquire significant oil and gas working interests in the Greater Aneth, UT oil fields, and expanded its retail and wholesale business.

While NNOGC is still in a robust growth mode, it has returned significant royalty payments, taxes, right-of-way payments, lease payments, scholarships and other contributions to the Navajo Nation and host communities, which these entities use to provide employment and services to the Navajo people. The business activity of NNOGC contributes not only to the self-sufficiency of the Navajo Nation, but also to the energy security of the United States.