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Navajos, Hopis out of work as mine shuts down
Wednesday, January 4, 2006

A couple f hundred Navajo and Hopi tribal members are out of work now that the Black Mesa coal mine in northeastern Arizona has shut down.

The mine is closing because its sole customer -- a power plant 273 miles away in Nevada -- has to close down. The power plant is a major polluter and its operators are refusing to pay for $1 billion in upgrades.

Peabody Energy, the largest coal mining company in the world, operates the Black Mesa mine. The company is currently the target of litigation by the Hopi Tribe and the Navajo Nation over agreements the tribes say are unfair.

Both tribes depend on royalties from the mine. Tribal members who work at the complex say they will be hurt by its closure.

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Forces Clash on Tribal Lands (The New York Times 1/1)
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Relevant Links:
Hopi Tribe - http://www.hopi.nsn.us
Navajo Nation - http://www.navajo.org
Peabody Energy - http://www.peabodyenergy.com

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