Indigenous land and water are being sacrificed to provide cheap
electricity to big-city dwellers, most of which do not know where
their electricity comes from. Hopi and Navajo people who have been
finding their water disappearing now face the threat of Peabody Coal's
plans to take even more of their water. Please add your voice to those
calling on decision-makers to stop this injustice, and spread the word.
Nationally, the Office of Surface Mining is entertaining Peabody Coal's
application to expand its mines on Black Mesa, use more water, and get
a life of mine permit which would allow it to do what it wants indefinitely,
eliminating the ability of the public to have a meaningful say.
Deadline for public comments is Sept 15. See contacts and details below.
Regionally, public comment is needed on the fate of the Mohave Generating
Station in Laughlin Nevada, which has been powered by Black Mesa coal
delivered with Black Mesa groundwater. The current agreement between Black
Mesa and Mohave is up for renewal after 2005, as is the coal supply
agreement with the Hopi and Navajo tribes. Mohave is to close about that
time. The question is whether it is closed permanently or only temporarily
to install pollution controls mandated by the lawsuit from environmentalists
and then resume with another contract for coal and water or other transport.
The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) is involved in the
decision as owners of Mohave include Southern California Edison and the Los
Angeles Department of Water and Power. Tell the CPUC that (1) under no
circumstances should Mohave be allowed operate using Black Mesa water, and
(2) Mohave should be shut down permanently and replaced by a solar power plant.
Feel free to add other points such as that coal is unacceptable because of
the impact of mining on the local people. A ruling could come soon.
You do not need to live in California to comment.
email
public.advisor.la@cpuc.ca.gov put Mohave Generating Station in the subject line
or send postal mail to
Public Advisor
California Public Utilities Commission
320 West 4th Street, Suite 500
Los Angeles, CA 90013
1-866-849-8391 or 1-213-576-7055
http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/static/aboutcpuc/divisions/csid/public+advisor/index.htm
For more info:
http://www.blackmesatrust.org (928) 213-9009
http://www.blackmesais.org/Primer_on_Mohave_Generation_Station.htm http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=12720651&BRD=1817&PAG=461&dept_id=222087&rfi=6 http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/proceedings/A0205046_doc.htm To:
BIGMTLIST@topica.com [
http://www.topica.com/subscribe/BIGMTLIST ]
From: Robert Dorman <
redorman@theofficenet.com>
Date: 4 Sep 2004
From: Carol Halberstadt <
carol@migrations.com>
From: "Andy Bessler" <
andy.bessler@sierraclub.org>
Date: 3 Sep 2004
Please pass this on to interested parties who can comment by Sept. 15th.
The email address for OSM contained a mistake. The correct email to send
your comments to OSM is:
Blackmesa-comments@osmre.gov We put an underscore ( _ ) instead of a dash (-). Sorry about this mistake
and hopefully you can still follow the directions below to send in your
comments! Comments sent to OSM with the underscore will bounce back if you
try to send emails to that address. Please use the one listed above.
Andy Bessler
Sierra Club
Environmental Justice Organizer
P.O. Box 38
Flagstaff, AZ 86002
andy.bessler@sierraclub.org Phone: (928) 774-6103
Fax: (928)) 774-6138
The Sierra Club's Environmental Justice Program supports the efforts of the
Black Mesa Water Coalition and the Black Mesa Trust. They have asked for
assistance from you in commenting on an important coal mining application
submitted by Peabody Energy to the US Office of Surface Mining (OSM). Below
is a message from the BMWC and BMT urging you to help Navajo and Hopi people
ensure their drinking water is protected for the generations yet to come.
For decades, Peabody has been stripping the cultural foundation of Navajo
and Hopi people by draining their groundwater, the N-Aquifer. Ancient
springs that have fed terraced gardens and played critical roles in
ceremonial cycles of both tribes are drying up on Black Mesa. It is time to
stop wasting drinking water, polluting the air with coal-fired power plants
and move into the 21st century with wind and solar power! Stop Peabody
Pumping! Hope you can take a minute and send in a postcard to OSM and
Secretary Gail Norton by September 15th.
Andy Bessler, Sierra Club's SW EJ Organizer
We URGENTLY need YOUR VOICE!!
Just follow these steps:
1. Copy and paste SAMPLE LETTERS below into a new email message
2. Click here, copy and paste the following email address to OSM:
blackmesa-comments@osmre.gov 3. Add your personal statements and information, then send email to OSM
4. Feel good about helping to save Black Mesa Water!
OR
1. Print out pre-written SAMPLE LETTERS below:
2. Add your personal statements and information, then
send postcard in envelope to OSM (address below) with postage.
3. Feel good about helping to save Black Mesa Water!
The Office of Surface Mining (OSM) is accepting PUBLIC COMMENTS until
SEPT. 15th, 2004!!!
What's going on:
Peabody Coal Company has filed an application with the Office of Surface
Mining (OSM). Peabody is seeking to:
* Use MORE Black Mesa COAL! Peabody is proposing a 20% increase in
coal production!
* Use MORE WATER! They want 6,600 acre-feet of water from the
Coconino Aquifer, an aquifer that supplies water to many Northern Arizona
communities and springs!
* The CONTINUED USE of the N-AQUIFER! Continued pumping of the
Navajo Aquifer through 2008, if not indefinitely!
* Build a COAL WASHING facility! This facility would use potential
drinking water and fill impoundments used by farmers with toxic materials!
* Seal in MINING RIGHTS! Peabody seeks to lock in mining rights
until at least 2025
* and MORE! These are just a few of threats Peabody's application poses!
WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE:
WE need YOUR comments. OSM is accepting public comment until SEPTEMBER
15th, 2004! Either send in the pre-written postcards (text below or visit
http://www.blackmesawatercoalition.org/postcard091504.htm ) OR better yet,
write your own letter! Tell OSM this application is a bad idea!
SEND your COMMENTS to:
Jerry D. Gavette, Black Mesa/Kayenta Mine Team Leader
Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement
P.O. Box 46667 Denver, Colorado 80201-6667
Or E-mail your comments to Jerry Gavette at:
blackmesa-comments@osmre.gov Also send them to:
Honorable Gale Norton, Secretary
U.S. Department of Interior
18 th & C Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20240
For more information contact Black Mesa Water Coalition, Black Mesa Trust,
or the Sierra Club's SW EJ office or check out our websites!
Black Mesa Water Coalition
Website:
http://www.blackmesawatercoalition.org e-mail:
blackmesawatercoalition@yahoo.com office #: (928) 226-0310
Black Mesa Trust
Website:
http://www.blackmesatrust.org office #: (928) 213-9009
Sierra Club's Southwest Environmental Justice office
Website:
http://www.sierraclub.org office #: (928) 774-6103
SAMPLE LETTERS/EMAILS:
Dear Mr. Gavette,
Please accept these comments on Peabody Western Coal Company's recent mine
application to the Office of Surface Mining. I urge you to treat Peabody's
request as a new permit application, instead of a revision because of the
adverse impacts it will have on the land, water, and cultures of Black Mesa.
Peabody's application is incomplete and must be subject to a new
Environmental Impact Statement and Endangered Species Act review.
Furthermore, Peabody must carry the burden of establishing that their
application is in compliance with all federal, state, tribal, and local
regulatory programs.
Despite substantial evidence that proves the negative impacts of Peabody's
pumping from the N-Aquifer and in the face of public demand that pumping
from the Navajo Aquifer stop by the end of 2005, Peabody insists on using
the N-Aquifer through 2008, if not indefinitely. Additionally, Peabody
seeks to tap into another fresh water source, the Coconino Aquifer, for
transporting and washing coal. The use of drinking water for this purpose
is unacceptable.
The federal government has a special trust responsibility to Native
American tribes. I urge you to live up to this responsibility and deny
Peabody's request.
Signature
Printed Name
Address
City
State
ZIP
Dear Secretary Norton,
Please accept these comments on Peabody Western Coal Company's recent mine
application to the Office of Surface Mining. I urge you to treat Peabody's
request as a new permit application, instead of a revision because of the
adverse impacts it will have on the land, water, and cultures of Black Mesa.
Peabody's application is incomplete and must be subject to a new
Environmental Impact Statement and Endangered Species Act review.
Furthermore, Peabody must carry the burden of establishing that their
application is in compliance with all federal, state, tribal, and local
regulatory programs.
Despite substantial evidence that proves the negative impacts of
Peabody's pumping from the N-Aquifer and in the face of public demand
that pumping from the Navajo Aquifer stop by the end of 2005, Peabody
insists on using the N-Aquifer through 2008, if not indefinitely.
Additionally, Peabody seeks to tap into another fresh water source, the
Coconino Aquifer, for transporting and washing coal. The use of drinking
water for this purpose is unacceptable.
The federal government has a special trust responsibility to Native American
tribes. I urge you to live up to this responsibility and deny Peabody's request.
Signature
Printed Name
Address
City
State
ZIP
--Carol Snyder Halberstadt, coordinator & cofounder
Black Mesa Weavers for Life and Land
A nonprofit enterprise of the Dine' (Navajo) of Black Mesa, Arizona
Wool & Weavings Fair Traded from the Source (tm)
http://www.blackmesaweavers.org To:
BIGMTLIST@topica.com From: Robert Dorman <
redorman@theofficenet.com>
Date: 4 Sep 2004 19:34:44 +0000
Subject: Here's Gale Norton's e-mail address
Gale_Norton@ios.doi.gov = = = =
Feel free to plagiarize from my comments (for the CPUC substitute
"Mohave Generating Station" for "Peabody" where appropriate):
Coal is the most polluting fuel and causes most electric power pollution.
Air pollution toxics from fossil-powered electric power plants kill
about 30,000 Americans per year and sicken hundreds of thousands.
[
http://cta.policy.net/proactive/newsroom/release.vtml?id=19140 http://cta.policy.net/fact/mortality/mortalitystudy.vtml http://cta.policy.net/fact/darkening_skies/health.vtml http://www.cleartheair.org http://www.commondreams.org/news2002/0613-10.htm http://www.envirohealthaction.org/upload_files/ChildrenatRisk.pdf http://cta.policy.net/proactive/newsroom/release.vtml?id=19080 http://cta.policy.net/proactive/newsroom/release.vtml?id=18980 http://www.green-e.org/your_e_choices/pollutants.html http://www.citizen.org/texas/EnvProt/NSR/articles.cfm?ID=8601 http://www.lungusa.org/press/envir/air_112202.html ]
30,000 is about 10 times the number killed in the World Trade Center attack
of Sept 11. Cumulative electric consumption is about 30 times present
annual consumption [
http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/aer/txt/tab0803.htm ].
Thus to date, approximately 300 times more Americans have been killed by
electric power plant pollution than were killed by terrorism, so if we are
rational and value life, we will spend 300 times more effort on stopping
electric generator toxics and reducing coal consumption than we spend on
stopping terrorism.
Coal contributes more to global climate change than other fossil fuels
due to the higher levels of carbon dioxide per unit of energy.
A study of the impact of climate change on California concluded that
between loss of snowpack and rising sea levels causing collapse of the Bay
Delta, California could lose 65% of its fresh water supply, and there would
be 70% more fire. [ Sierra Yodeler November 1996 ]
Bad weather and resulting crop failures were contributing factors to
the economic collapse of North Korea.
40% of the land of China is undergoing desertification.
A Chinese dust storm in 2001 was so big it dropped dust 7,000 miles away
over an area reaching from Canada to Arizona. Millions of tons of topsoil
have been lost, which will take centuries to replace.
[
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines03/0126-07.htm ]
The Pentagon has concluded that climate change could cause food shortages,
"decreased availability and quality of fresh water in key regions due to
shifted precipitation patters, causing more frequent floods and droughts",
and disrupted access to energy supplies, resulting in war and "a significant
drop in the human carrying capacity of the Earth's environment".
[ An Abrupt Climate Change Scenario and Its Implications for United States
National Security By Peter Schwartz and Doug Randall,
http://www.ems.org/climate/pentagon_climate_change.html ]
For more info on climate see
http://www.heatisonline.org It would be criminal to ignore these warnings and continue contributing to
this threat to our security by burning more coal as if there's no tomorrow.
When there is an imbalance in supply and demand, why is it that the
only choices presented are between which options to increase supply,
and no choices for reducing demand are considered?
Why are efficiency-increasing technologies and demand reduction never
allowed to compete fairly with jacking up supply, even on a free market
basis? Could it be because they are typically more cost-effective and
lots of supply options would fail to stand up to the competition?
[ see Amory Lovins on negawatts
http://www.rmi.org/sitepages/pid171.php ]
US electric consumption in 2000 was over 9 times that of 1950, 5 times
as much per person [
http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/aer/txt/tab0803.htm ].
We're not 5 times better off now than we were then, and we were not
backward deprived people when we were using 1/5 what we're using now.
Thus eliminating all coal consumption by reducing electric consumption by
half (the portion currently generated via coal) is a reasonable option,
especially given that we have more energy-efficient technologies available
now and there was plenty of waste in 1950.
Smart retrofits have saved as much as 90% of lighting electric consumption
with no reduction in service or comfort [ Climate: Making Sense and Making
Money, Rocky Mountain Institute, www.rmi.org/images/other/C-ClimateMSMM.pdf ].
Under no circumstances should Peabody be allowed operate using Black Mesa
water. The people of Black Mesa have suffered more than enough from the
expropriation of their resources by outsiders. This is desert country,
where water is life, so taking water is taking life. The Southwest has been
under a severe drought so water is more precious now than ever. Peabody
must also not be allowed to consume drinking-quality water from any other
places such as the Coconino Aquifer.
It is insane to use pure high-quality water to ship coal in the desert.
Peabody can use alternative transportation methods as every other coal
mine in the country has been able to. Coal-washing and other purported
"needs" for water must only be approved using reclaimed water, and only
after an investigation of non-water alternatives and steady-state
recirculating technologies to reuse the same water many times on-site.
Pumping of the Navajo Aquifer must stop immediately and no pumping or mining
must be allowed until Peabody has (1) fully compensated everyone adversely
affected by past disruption of the waters and (2) posted a bond sufficient
in size to compensate everyone for future adverse effects arising from the
consequences of past disruption and (3) fully restored the groundwaters to
their naturally functioning order so no more disruption occurs in the future.
The substantial adverse impacts of additional mining on the watersheds,
groundwaters, landscapes, flora, fauna, societies, and cultures of
Black Mesa, and the illegitimacy of the means by which Peabody obtained
its prior permit, require that Peabody's request must be handled as a
new permit application, not a revision.
Peabody's application is unacceptably inadequate. A complete Environmental
Impact Statement and Endangered Species Act review are required.
No mining shall be allowed until Peabody proves its application is in
compliance with all federal, state, tribal, and local regulations at its
sole expense and liability. A condition of the permit must be that if
any breach is discovered then mining must stop until the problem is corrected.
Certain traditional Hopi and Navajo ceremonies consist of visiting a
sequence of sacred sites to give offerings and prayers. Some of these
ceremonies can no longer be conducted since the sites have been strip-mined
out of existence. By what authority is it right to deny one group of
people the ability to practice their religion in order that another group
may enjoy a few additional physical comforts and save a bit of money?
The Navajo at Big Mountain were subject to the biggest forced removal (ie
ethnic cleansing) of Indian people since the Cherokee Trail of Tears of 1838
and the Navajo Long Walk of 1864, in order to clear the land for mining.
"The forcible relocation of over 10,000 Navajo people is a tragedy of
genocide and injustice that will be a blot on the conscience of this
country for many generations."
-- Leon Berger, who resigned as Executive Director of the Navajo-Hopi
Relocation Commission
"I feel that in relocating these elderly people, we are as bad as the
Nazis that ran the concentration camps in World War II."
-- Roger Lewis, federally appointed Relocation Commissioner who resigned
John Boyden, a white lawyer instrumental in setting up the forced
relocation program, and instrumental in setting up the Hopi Tribal Council
itself against the wishes of the majority of the Hopi people, made more
than $2 million working for both the Tribal Council and Peabody Coal, as a
sweetheart stripmine lease was "negotiated".
Thus the existing coal and water contracts are illegitimate, and the
subject of your proceeding should not be how to extract more electricity,
coal, and water from indigenous lands but how to pay reparations to the
tribes.
Some Navajo can trace their ancestry at Big Mountain on Black Mesa for
25 genermations. That's longer than the USA has been in existence.
The Hopi have been documented to live at Black Mesa for at least 800 years,
That's many times longer than Arizona or the OSM have been in existence.
Depriving them of water threatens to destroy their ability to survive
in their homeland. That would be a violation of international law.
Their human rights and land rights take precedence over the right of people
to pay a low fee to flip on switches to live a life of comparative luxury,
or the right of corporations to make any profit.
For details see:
Dark Days on Black Mesa by John Dougherty, Phoenix New Times April 24 1997
http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/issues/1997-04-24/feature2.html A People Betrayed by John Dougherty, Phoenix New Times May 1 1997
http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/issues/1997-05-01/feature.html The Black Mesa Syndrome by Judith Nies
http://www.blackmesais.org/bigmtbackground.html Geopolitics of the Navajo-Hopi Land Dispute by John Redhouse
http://www.angelfire.com/art/hoganview/Geopol.htm -- Walter Epp