Environmental Groups Challenge Navajo Mine Expansion
Environmental groups have raised concerns over the extension of a Navajo Nation coal mine’s operational lifespan, potentially impacting local communities and the environment. The decision by a federal agency to allow the Navajo Mine in northwestern New Mexico to operate until 2136 has sparked an appeal.
The appeal, submitted to the U.S. Department of the Interior, highlights potential consequences such as increased costs for consumers and environmental degradation, including air and groundwater pollution. Additionally, the expansion might necessitate the relocation of some Navajo families.
“The local impacted community has already borne so much impact from this industry,” stated Mike Eisenfeld, the energy and climate program director for the San Juan Citizens Alliance.
The appeal was filed by two organizations: Tó Nizhóní Ání, a nonprofit focused on empowering Indigenous communities affected by coal, and the San Juan Citizens Alliance, an environmental nonprofit headquartered in Durango.
Concerns regarding health risks have also been voiced. Retired Navajo coal miners from New Mexico and Arizona have previously reported suspicions of suffering from black lung disease, also known as coal workers’ pneumoconiosis, due to their employment at operations like the Navajo Mine.
The U.S. Office of Surface Mining, Reclamation and Enforcement, a division within the Interior Department, had approved the mine’s expansion in September by issuing the No Name Permit. This permit authorizes the extraction of over 500 million tons of coal over approximately 9,042 acres.
Eisenfeld criticized the public consultation process, describing the single meeting conducted by the office as inadequate for a project of this scale. “The one scoping meeting they conducted was very marginal,” he remarked. “This should have had a way, way more expansive participatory zone.”
Operated by the Navajo Transitional Energy Company (NTEC), the mine is owned by the Navajo Nation government. Supporters of the expansion, including NTEC, have argued that it would enhance the tribe’s economic stability. The permit’s title, No Name, is derived from a dry wash called No Name Arroyo that intersects the project area.
The mine’s sole client is the Four Corners Power Plant, situated near Fruitland, New Mexico, and operated by Arizona Public Service (APS). Last week, APS confirmed signing a contract with NTEC, potentially extending the power plant’s operation to 2038, despite its previous closure plan set for 2031.
The Navajo Mine expansion represents the largest coal extraction authorization on Native American land in the U.S., as per the Office of Surface Mining.
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