Black Mesa Coal

Black Mesa is home to some 8,000 Hopis and 16,000 Navajos. It is also home to Black Mesa Coal Mine operated by Peabody Coal, the world's largest coal company. In 2005, Peabody closed the mine because of issues surrounding the environmental impacts of the Mohave Generating Station in Laughlin, Nevada and because of continued protests by Hopi and Navajo people whose drinking water and sacred land are affected.

An article that explains some of the history of the Black Mesa operation can be read here. For local articles on the Black Mesa issue, click here and search for "Black Mesa".

In order to understand some of the issues facing both the Hopi and the Navajo, Red Feather has provided links to current stories surrounding the use of this coal and the sacred water beneath the mesa required for extraction and transportation of the coal.

• 'Life of Mine' Permit Sought by Peabody Western Coal
• Peabody Western Coal, the world's largest coal company, is attempting to obtain a 'Life of Mine' permit from the federal Office of Surface Mining (OSM): which means a lease extension application that would permit them to mine indefinitely, and dramatically increase the current rate of coal production to turn Black Mesa into a massive energy center for domestic and international export.

• Office of Surface Mining Ends Public Comment Period on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)
• Visit the Office of Surface Mining’s Black Mesa Project site to see the official proposal for reopening the Peabody operations, including resource use, maps, and an executive summary of the EIS.

• Groups Challenge Environmental Analysis of Controversial Black Mesa Mine
• Feds Failed to Consider Harmful Impacts to Sacred Springs... To read more, click here. For more information on native groups opposed to the Black Mesa Project, visit the Black Mesa Trust or Black Mesa Water Coalition.

• Salt River Project Ceases Efforts
• Salt River Project, a 20 percent owner of the Mohave Generating Station (MGS) in Laughlin, Nevada, is ending efforts to return the plant to service, but is looking for new buyers. Mohave Generating Station uses coal from the Black Mesa Coal Mine on the Navajo and Hopi Reservations to generate electricity for metropolitan Phoenix. Over the years, MGS has slurried Black Mesa coal to its facilities by tapping into the aquifers below the coal mine—water that the Navajo and Hopi use for drinking water. To read Salt River Project's recent press release announcing these plans click here.