Black Mesa Mine the Black Term Paper

Total Length: 2067 words ( 7 double-spaced pages)

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Lands are reclaimed to a condition that typically is 20 times more productive for grazing than native range. These results, which are nationally recognized, are important to local American Indian families who make their livelihood raising cattle, sheep and goats (Peabody Western Coal Company 2007:1).

Of course, the company is ignoring the damage to the water supply when it makes these claims and does not account for this damage against the benefits. The intent of the company is clear in a settlement proposal it made to keep Black Mesa in operation while giving the federal government control over the aquifer and dismissing all claims against Peabody for injury to the groundwater (Helms 2007:1).

A call to action by a group called Honor the Earth makes the implicatiosn for the sacred land clear:

If the plan to allow Peabody to restart its Black Mesa Mine goes ahead, the cultural implications will be dramatic. The Hopi and Navajo's ability to grow traditional foods and herbal medicines, as well as access ceremonial sites and perform rituals, will all be affected (Honor the Earth 2007:1).


The group further charges that the issue is being raised at a time when the Hopi are in the most important phase of their ceremonial calendar and so are not in a position to protest as they would at other times.

The issue can be seen as seeking a balance between the needs of the more developed areas and the needs of the Native Americans, but it is also an issue of protecting the environment rather than using it up too quickly. It is also an economic issue because the only reason the Peabody company uses the slurry method at this facility is because it gets the water for virtually nothing. A different method of transport could and would be used if the water were protected, and critics point out how shortsighted it is not to protect the water and to frame the issue as providing the necessary power to the region while simultaneously destroying a water supply that is even more vital......

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