Arizona Mining Association

Mining on Black Mesa
Balancing Cultural Preservation and Economic Development

Peabody operates as a guest on ancient Navajo and Hopi lands in Northeastern Arizona

As the sun rises above the Black Mesa in a fireball of orange, an elderly Navajo matriarch greets the warmth of the rays and the beauty of the new day.

Soon she will herd her sheep and goats to a reclaimed pasture just over the hill, though first she must finish shearing. It's difficult work, yet a routine that is steeped in tradition.

Peabody operates as a guest on ancient Navajo and Hopi lands in Northeastern Arizona, where the Black Mesa and Kayenta mines annually produce about 13 million tons of coal that helps fuel low-cost electricity for the Southwest. More than 90 percent of the nearly 650-member Black Mesa work force is Native American, making Peabody one of the nation's largest private employers of native people. Mining provides a stable source of revenue for tribal governments and creates more than $120 million each year in regional economic benefits. And, the mines are operated in an area where nearly 200 Native Americans make their home, underscoring the need for programs that help the tribes balance cultural preservation with economic development.

Peabody's mission is to be a worldwide supplier of low-cost energy that contributes to economic prosperity and a better quality of life. On Black Mesa, this mission is embodied in a host of community-based efforts: reclaiming lands for traditional livestock grazing and restoring plants and herbs with cultural significance, providing potable water and coal for home heating, improving the local infrastructure, supporting education through scholarships and charitable contributions and building economies through coal revenue.

Peabody's mission is to be a worldwide supplier of low-cost energy that contributes to economic prosperity and a better quality of life.

The culmination of these decades-long initiatives have earned ongoing recognition from the U.S. Department of the Interior through a 2005 "Silver" Good Neighbor Award, a 2003 "Gold" Good Neighbor Award, and a 2005 Excellence in Mining & Reclamation National Award. Peabody's Arizona operations have earned six major awards for stewardship since 1996 On Black Mesa, reclamation restores mined lands to hardy rangeland that is typically 20 times more productive for livestock grazing than native lands. Peabody scientists and reclamation specialists also have pioneered a program for restoring plants, shrubs and trees used for medicinal and ceremonial purposes.

Nearly 365,000 culturally significant plants have been restored this past decade on more than 200 acres of land using specific nursery and planting protocols to maximize establishment and ensure hardy, robust growth. "Running livestock and gathering cultural plants are important traditions for Navajo people that have special significance to our culture," said Peabody's Government and Tribal Relations Manager Walter Begay Jr. "Family unity, learning and day-to-day life are centered on raising sheep and goats. That's why our efforts are so important to traditional people." Peabody's Black Mesa and Kayenta mines serve the Mohave Generating Station near Laughlin, Nev., and the Navajo Generating Station near Page, Ariz. Together, the electric generating stations provide a secure, reliable source of low-cost electricity for more than 3.5 million Southwest families in Arizona, Nevada and California.

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