Post by Okwes on May 16, 2007 10:13:27 GMT -5
Department of the Interior Poised to Allow Coal Mining Expansion in
Black Mesa The Depletion of Aquifer Waters Threatens the Hopi and Navajo
By alex cruden
Takeaways The Black Mesa Coal Mine is one of the
largest in the United States. The Black Mesa coal slurry pipeline is
over 270 miles long, the longest of its kind in the world. The
N-Aquifer is being depleted at a rate that will prohibit regeneration of
the crucial underground water source.
The Department of the Interior and the Office of Surface Mining is set
to grant the Peabody Energy Company, the largest coal company in the
world, further expansion into Black Mesa, Arizona. Peabody already mines
extensively in the region, and in addition to the standard environmental
degradations that strip mining causes, Peabody uses precious water to
transport coal slurry to power plants in Nevada.
Peabody Coal has asked the Interior Department to grant the company a
"life of mine" lease, which would give Peabody unfettered access to the
coal in Black Mesa until the coal runs out. As if this weren't bad
enough, Peabody is also looking to expanding it's 270 mile pipeline
capacity in order to ship more coal slurry to Nevada. The impact of this
could further deplete the N(Navajo)-aquifer in Northern Arizona, an area
noted for its arid landscape. The Hopi and Navaho tribes in the area are
concerned that the increase in water usage could ultimately drain the
aquifer, on which the Hopi and Navajo are solely dependent for water.
It has been determined that the N-aquifer has already suffered a
decrease in over 50% in the forty years since Peabody started slurry
transport in the Black Mesa Coal Mine. This is an area that may receive
only 7 to 10 inches of rainwater a year, which in turn recharges the
aquifer. However, if the water taken out is grossly disproportionate to
the water going in, then the problem of scarce water resources in the
West will become a disaster. Currently, 50 gallons a second are being
pumped out of the aquifer to be mixed with pulverized coal and shipped
off to Nevada to power the homes of Arizona, Nevada and Southern
California. There is also a question of contamination of the pristine
waters of the aquifer. As this source of water is depended on for
residential and agricultural purposes, any toxic contamination of these
waters could further harm not only the land, but also the people and the
livestock. Furthermore, like any pipeline, there is the continual
problem and danger of spills. When these spills do occur, the slurry
water can contaminate surface waters and additional water sources.
Other issues at hand include the tribal considerations in regards to the
Hopi and Navajo beliefs that the water is sacred. Both tribes count
several natural springs in the area as spiritual areas used in tribal
ceremonies. Furthermore, the tribes fear the loss of archeological sites
if the Peabody Company is allowed to expand. Both tribes have been
fighting Peabody's use of the aquifer waters for years, only to be
disappointed in the Office of Surface Mining's continued support for the
coal slurry pipeline, considered by most to be an outdated form of coal
transport. Currently, the Peabody Company has a pending application
for their expansion in the Black Mesa area. The Office of Surface Mining
has allowed a period of public comment on the current plan and report
that ends February 6, 2007. However, this short month-long open comment
period just happens to have been scheduled during the Hopi Tribes'
ceremonial two-month period of refraining from all secular matters. To
make matters worse, some tribal members are accusing the OSM of not
distributing the 780 page report to all parties involved. And on top of
all that, the OSM is only accepting comments that directly refer to
paragraphs and items in the report. Many are accusing the Interior
Department and the OSM of making the process of protest difficult in
order to allow the expansion of Peabody to continue without a hitch.
Grassroots organizations and environment groups are attempting to mount
campaigns to stop Peabody's expansion and continued use of N-aquifer
water. At one point, Peabody had suggested an alternate plan of using
the water from the Colorado River to transport the coal, but as the
Colorado has also suffered severe depletion, that plan has been shown to
be as ineffectual as the continued use of the Navajo Aquifer. Water
resources in the Western United States is at a critical point, and many
feel that the transport of coal slurry is a waste of precious water. If
the coal at Black Mesa is going to be mined, and as the US's appetite
for energy grows unabated, then more effective and ecological friendly
methods are going to need to be devised by our government, before it is
too late. More resources
www.shundahai.org/bigmtbackground.html
Black Mesa The Depletion of Aquifer Waters Threatens the Hopi and Navajo
By alex cruden
Takeaways The Black Mesa Coal Mine is one of the
largest in the United States. The Black Mesa coal slurry pipeline is
over 270 miles long, the longest of its kind in the world. The
N-Aquifer is being depleted at a rate that will prohibit regeneration of
the crucial underground water source.
The Department of the Interior and the Office of Surface Mining is set
to grant the Peabody Energy Company, the largest coal company in the
world, further expansion into Black Mesa, Arizona. Peabody already mines
extensively in the region, and in addition to the standard environmental
degradations that strip mining causes, Peabody uses precious water to
transport coal slurry to power plants in Nevada.
Peabody Coal has asked the Interior Department to grant the company a
"life of mine" lease, which would give Peabody unfettered access to the
coal in Black Mesa until the coal runs out. As if this weren't bad
enough, Peabody is also looking to expanding it's 270 mile pipeline
capacity in order to ship more coal slurry to Nevada. The impact of this
could further deplete the N(Navajo)-aquifer in Northern Arizona, an area
noted for its arid landscape. The Hopi and Navaho tribes in the area are
concerned that the increase in water usage could ultimately drain the
aquifer, on which the Hopi and Navajo are solely dependent for water.
It has been determined that the N-aquifer has already suffered a
decrease in over 50% in the forty years since Peabody started slurry
transport in the Black Mesa Coal Mine. This is an area that may receive
only 7 to 10 inches of rainwater a year, which in turn recharges the
aquifer. However, if the water taken out is grossly disproportionate to
the water going in, then the problem of scarce water resources in the
West will become a disaster. Currently, 50 gallons a second are being
pumped out of the aquifer to be mixed with pulverized coal and shipped
off to Nevada to power the homes of Arizona, Nevada and Southern
California. There is also a question of contamination of the pristine
waters of the aquifer. As this source of water is depended on for
residential and agricultural purposes, any toxic contamination of these
waters could further harm not only the land, but also the people and the
livestock. Furthermore, like any pipeline, there is the continual
problem and danger of spills. When these spills do occur, the slurry
water can contaminate surface waters and additional water sources.
Other issues at hand include the tribal considerations in regards to the
Hopi and Navajo beliefs that the water is sacred. Both tribes count
several natural springs in the area as spiritual areas used in tribal
ceremonies. Furthermore, the tribes fear the loss of archeological sites
if the Peabody Company is allowed to expand. Both tribes have been
fighting Peabody's use of the aquifer waters for years, only to be
disappointed in the Office of Surface Mining's continued support for the
coal slurry pipeline, considered by most to be an outdated form of coal
transport. Currently, the Peabody Company has a pending application
for their expansion in the Black Mesa area. The Office of Surface Mining
has allowed a period of public comment on the current plan and report
that ends February 6, 2007. However, this short month-long open comment
period just happens to have been scheduled during the Hopi Tribes'
ceremonial two-month period of refraining from all secular matters. To
make matters worse, some tribal members are accusing the OSM of not
distributing the 780 page report to all parties involved. And on top of
all that, the OSM is only accepting comments that directly refer to
paragraphs and items in the report. Many are accusing the Interior
Department and the OSM of making the process of protest difficult in
order to allow the expansion of Peabody to continue without a hitch.
Grassroots organizations and environment groups are attempting to mount
campaigns to stop Peabody's expansion and continued use of N-aquifer
water. At one point, Peabody had suggested an alternate plan of using
the water from the Colorado River to transport the coal, but as the
Colorado has also suffered severe depletion, that plan has been shown to
be as ineffectual as the continued use of the Navajo Aquifer. Water
resources in the Western United States is at a critical point, and many
feel that the transport of coal slurry is a waste of precious water. If
the coal at Black Mesa is going to be mined, and as the US's appetite
for energy grows unabated, then more effective and ecological friendly
methods are going to need to be devised by our government, before it is
too late. More resources
www.shundahai.org/bigmtbackground.html