Could coal mining in Arizona come back to the Nation?
Special to the Times | Donovan Quintero
A dragline carries tons of debris to the side as it digs for coal on Friday in Burnham, N.M.
WINDOW ROCK
When Peabody’s coal mining operations shut down in 2019, Kayenta lost more than just jobs—it lost its economic heartbeat. Longtime residents Phillip and Ruth Bradley paint a stark picture of a community transformed by industrial silence.
Special to the Times | Donovan Quintero
A path for a pair of high-voltage transmission towers can be seen cutting through the Fort Defiance Plateau on Friday near Sawmill, Ariz. The towers are part of a long-distance electric power transmission line system used to transport electricity to remote generating stations.
“I just wonder, what are they going to do? What are they going to work?” Phillip Bradley reflected, noting how young workers were suddenly left without opportunities. Many young men previously traveled to mines in other regions, but now those pathways have disappeared.
Impact on schools, families
The economic impact extended far beyond individual employment. Historically funded through Peabody’s tax contributions, local schools saw dramatic changes.
Special to the Times | Donovan Quintero
A trio of cows rests underneath a paring of high voltage transmission towers on Friday near Sawmill, Ariz.
“Our enrollment went down,” Ruth Bradley explained. “From maybe 1,000 students, it became less than 1,000. Some of our teachers had to leave.”
The community’s infrastructure and social fabric began to unravel.
“People were disappointed when they first had to move,” Ruth Bradley said. “Even some of my students’ parents moved down south.”
To read the full article, please see the April 17, 2025, edition of the Navajo Times.
Get instant access to this story by purchasing one of our many e-edition subscriptions here at our Navajo Times Store.
Rate:
Highway 264,
I-40, WB @ Winslow