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ALERT: Peabody Coal’s Massive Coal Mining Expansion Plans, ‘The Black Mesa Project’, Receives An Approval From OSM.

On December 22, 2008, Office of Surface Mining (OSM) issued a record of decision approving Peabody Western Coal Company’s mine permit revision application for the Black Mesa Complex.

Read the full decision here: http://www.wrcc.osmre.gov/default.htm

A statement will be issued soon, please check back for updates.

News Release: OSM APPROVES BLACK MESA PROJECT FINAL EIS Read further….

U.S. Government Continues Genocidal Assault on the People of Black Mesa. Read Further….

FYI: UPDATE: Navajo & Hopi Protest OSM in DENVER!! Read further….

Big Mountain Native writes an appeal for us all to listen and honor the traditional Elders of Big Mountain. More….

Ancient Ways Abandoned to Fend for Themselves at Big Mountain. Read Further….

Big Mtn. Elder Matriarch Continues to Face ‘Federal’ Threats. Big Mountain, Black Mesa (Arizona), November 18, 2008 – A nice peaceful morning in the Dineh resistance stronghold known as Sweet Water was again disrupted by a uniformed officer from the Office of Hopi Lands. This officer who had a badge that indicated he was with the Hopi tribal police claimed he was not serving a “noticed” on behalf of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, nor the U.S. government. The small 82 year old matriarch, Pauline Whitesinger, was trying to speak in the Dineh language to the thick and tall Indian officer that cannot understand Dineh and who was ‘assigned’ to meet with (grandma) Pauline about her “unauthorized” reconstruction of a traditional earth lodge. More….

Support The Struggle For Survival On The Front Lines Of Resistance at Big Mountain, Black Mesa, AZ.
:: Families Need Wood & Sheepherders as they face the encroaching coal mine ::

Show your support for the residents of the Big Mountain regions of Black Mesa who, on behalf of their peoples, their sacred ancestral lands, and future generations, continue to carry out their staunch resistance to the efforts of the US Government, which is acting in the interests of the Peabody Coal Company to devastate whole communities & ecosystems, and greatly de-stabilize our planet’s climate for the profit of an elite few.

By assisting with direct, on-land projects with the Sovereign communities of Big Mountain, Black Mesa you are helping families resist an illegal occupation and to stay on their lands, who serve as the very blockade to coal mining! More than 14,000 Dine’ people have been forcibly removed from their ancestral homelands due to spin created by the U.S government & Peabody Coal, under the guise of the so-called “Navajo-Hopi Land Dispute”. With the guidance of Black Mesa residents, our presence as direct, on-land supporters are to honor the elders and to bring support to their communities, as they steadfastly stay on their homelands (going into the third decade of resistance!) in the face of the encroaching coal-mining operaions.
Read more for a list of projects, needs, and for further details.

Both Republican & Democratic parties have consistently expressed support for the development of so-called ‘clean coal’ technology to help solve the nation’s energy problem while claiming to be interested in fighting pollution, global warming, and human rights. While many environmental and scientific groups have questioned whether the burning of coal can ever be clean, for First Nations in the Four Corners area ‘clean coal’ may also be a matter of ethnic cleansing and of their survival.

At this moment the decision makers in Washington D.C. are planning ways to expand their occupation of tribal lands to extract mineral & other resources. Peabody Coal, the world’s largest coal company, is currently pushing through plans to massively expand dirty coal strip-mining operations targeting the Dine’ (Navajo) & Hopi peoples sacred ancestral homelands of Black Mesa, AZ. Find Out More About These Plans and what local organizations are doing to protect their homelands & the planet….


Hardrock distrusts McCain Due to Land Dispute Record by Wendy Kenin, Special To The (Navajo) Times. 10.30.08

John McCain has been a primary sponsor of legislation that set a new timetable for the forced relocation of a number of Dineh (Navajo) families who continue to live on their ancestral homelands of Black Mesa, AZ. Although this legislation thankfully stalled on the House floor in April 2007 and never became law, there are growing concerns that S1003 would be at the forefront of McCain’s agenda. The coal companies have a long history of and continue to fund both the Republican and Democratic parties because they have huge interests at stake. On McCain today, people of Black Mesa say that they’ll still have to deal with him even though he lost the presidential election. He’ll still be in the Senate, and in the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs.

During the 109th Congress in 2007 McCain sponsored Senate Bill 1003, an amendment of the Navajo-Hopi Land Settlement Act of 1974 (Public Law 93-531, the relocation law), prematurely terminates the Federal government’s responsibilities towards those who “have lived through the nightmare of relocation” as testified by Navajo Nation president Joe Shirley Jr. Furthermore, S1003 disclaims any further federal responsibility for the relocatees and refuses to acknowledge the long lasting damage to the community and current need for rehabilitation and support.   Read more about John McCain’s involvement with relocation on Black Mesa.

Black Mesa Project Controversy Rises. A Waning Administration’s Actions May Contribute to a Tribal Mining Dispute. By Carol Berry, Today correspondent; Indian Country Today, 10.25.08. BLACK MESA, Ariz.- A push to approve a Peabody Western Coal Co. project in northern Arizona may be dividing the Hopi Tribal Council and fueling an attempted ouster of the tribal chairman. Read More…

FIRST NATIONS, FIRST RESISTANCE - The Struggle For Survival Continues. A Snapshot of Life For Residents of The Big Mountain Region of Black Mesa in 2008.

CounterPunch: Lehman Brothers ‘Blowback for Black Mesa’ by Brenda Norrell

Navajo, Hopi and Lakota delegation warned Lehman Brothers about the consequences of acquiring Peabody Coal and mining Black Mesa. By Brenda Norrell (Also Listen to Democracy Now! interview of the Navajo, Hopi and Lakota delegation.)

Big Mountain Elder Faces Threat of Charges for Ceremonial Lodge. Elder Served Notice That Rebuilding Ceremonial Lodge is Illegal. By Bahe Katenay. Big Mountain, Black Mesa, AZ, June 2, 2008 – On Wednesday, May 20th, key traditional elder resister to the relocation laws, Pauline Whitesinger, was served a notice to halt “new” construction of an earth lodge commonly known as a hogan, and this notice was served by Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) agency deputized officers, Hopi Tribal Range Technicians. More information and where to send comments and/or demands….

Peabody Energy shoveled $1.3M into 1Q lobbying Associated Press, May 23, 2008
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Peabody Investments Corp., a subsidiary of coal producer Peabody Energy Corp., spent nearly $1.3 million in the first quarter to lobby on issues related to the coal industry… READ MORE…