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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2002

Federal legislation to settle tribal water rights in Arizona will allow construction of a $125 million pumping station and pipeline to be used by Peabody Coal.

Peabody has mining operations on Navajo and Hopi land in northeastern Arizona. The company uses an enormous amount of water to transfer coal 273 miles away in Nevada.

The legislation allows the Fort McDowell Tribe to lease 6,500-acre feet of its rights in the Colorado River to Peabody. The Arizona Daily Sun obtained a Department of Interior document that describes drilling in the Grand Canyon.

According to sponsor Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.), the Hopi and Navajo tribes support the provision but environmentalists are blasting the deal as detrimental to the Grand Canyon.

Kyl will add the measure to a bill to settle the Zuni Tribe's water rights.

Get the Story:
Conservationists decry pipeline (The Arizona Daily Sun 10/10)

Relevant Links:
Peabody Energy - http://www.peabodyenergy.com

Realted Stories:
Peabody sides with Bush administration on trust (09/04)
U.S. argues limits as trustee (8/9)
NNN: Peabody Coal pollutes streams (08/09)
Legal tactics land Peabody in hot seat (7/22)
Hopi Tribe offers money for project (7/18)
Peabody denies water use claims (5/6)
Peabody water use still disputed (5/1)