‘Finish the reclamation’: Black Mesa residents tell Navajo leaders to oppose Peabody permit renewal
FOREST LAKE, Ariz.
Despite muddy conditions after a November rainstorm brought life-giving moisture to the mesa, Black Mesa community members packed the Forest Lake Chapter House on Nov. 20 and told Resources and Development Committee Chairwoman Brenda Jesus exactly what they want the Navajo Nation to say to Peabody Energy and federal regulators.
For more than four hours, residents from Dził Yíjiin and surrounding communities pressed Jesus and her committee to oppose the renewal of Peabody Western Coal Company’s Kayenta Mine permit and reclamation license. They said decades of broken promises, damaged homes, vanishing water and sick relatives have already cost them too much.
By the time she adjourned the meeting, Jesus acknowledged the message.
“It does appear that the majority of the response here is not to allow that permit renewal process,” she told the crowd, promising to carry their concerns back to Window Rock.
To read the full article, please see the Dec. 4, 2025, edition of the Navajo Times.
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