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Navajo Coal Mine is an operating coal mine in New Mexico, United States.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Mine Name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Navajo Coal Mine | New Mexico, United States | 36.57, -108.52 (exact) |
The map below shows the exact location of the coal mine:
Project Details
Table 2: Project status
| Status | Status Detail | Opening Year | Closing Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operating | – | – | – |
Table 3: Operation details
| Capacity (Mtpa) | Production (Mtpa) | Year of Production | Mine Type | Mining Method | Mine Size (km2) | Mine Depth (m) | Workforce Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| – | 4.170328066[1] | 2023[1] | Surface | – | – | 75* | 357[1] |
Table 4: Coal resources and destination
| Total Reserves (Mt) | Year of Total Reserves Recorded | Total Resources (Mt) | Coalfield | Coal Type | Coal Grade | Primary Consumer/ Destination |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| – | – | – | Other Western | Subbituminous | Thermal | – |
Table 5: Ownership and parent company
| Owner | Parent Company | Headquarters |
|---|---|---|
| Navajo Energy Transitional Company[2][3] | BHP | Australia |
Note: The above section was automatically generated and is based on data from the GEM April 2024 Global Coal Mine Tracker dataset.
Environmental violations
In its 2008 annual report BHP states that the mine was fined for two breachs of environmental regulations. These were:
- "In November 2007, two Notices of Violation were issued and a fine for US$584 was received for failure to protect topsoil from erosion"; and
- "Additionally, in February 2008, a Notice of Violation was issued and a fine for US$1,664 was received for failure to report the correct storage capacity of a sediment control impoundment."[4]
Legislative Issues
In August 2010, a coalition of organizations filed suit against the Office of Surface Mining, Reclamation and Enforcement’s (OSM) western region in U.S. District Court. The petition claims that OSM-issued permits allow BHP Navajo Coal Co.to annually dispose of approximately 1.6 million tons of coal combustion waste into unlined, mined-out coal pits, without environmental monitoring of impacts to surface or ground water. In addition, the groups contend that the revised OSM permit allows traditional cultural and sacred sites to be affected, including authorizing mining within 100 feet of buried tribal members or cemeteries. In court, the plaintiffs testified that daily dust emissions from blasting at Navajo Mine have a “direct and irreparable impact" on nearby residents and livestock, and OSM has not analyzed the effects of pollutants such as mercury, selenium, and radioactive isotopes. Diné CARE and San Juan Citizens Alliance claim that there has been noncompliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and requested that the court find violation of NEPA, vacate OSM’s approval of the 3,800-acre expansion at Navajo Mine, and to require OSM to prepare an EIS for the mine’s permit.[5]
In early November 2010 a federal judge voided a permit for the expansion of the operating permit for the Navajo mine located on the Navajo Reservation in New Mexico. It was one of two mines at the location that has sought expansion permits. The judge called for a more thorough review of the project’s impact on the environment and on cultural sites.
“This whole area has been utilized for thousands of years by indigenous people,” said Mr. Bartlett, a lawyer at the nonprofit Energy Minerals Law Center in Durango, Colorado. “This is where people have buried kin.”
The decision “sends a very clear signal that it’s time for this agency to do its job,” Mr. Bartlett added.
BHP Billiton owns the mine, which feeds the Four Corners Generating Station, also on Navajo land in New Mexico.[6]
Groups sue Federal Government over alleged failure to protect San Juan River from coal waste
In late January 2011 it was announced that a coalition of environmental groups sued the federal government over its alleged failure to protect the San Juan River ecosystem from coal mining and the disposal of coal-combustion waste in northwestern New Mexico.
The Center for Biological Diversity, Dine Citizens Against Ruining Our Environment and the San Juan Citizens Alliance filed on January 31, 2011 in federal court in Colorado against the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement. The groups claimed the agency did not consult with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service about threatened and endangered species before renewing a permit last fall for the Navajo Mine.
The groups stated that their lawsuit seeks to have the mining permit overturned as well as force a environmental review to ensure any permits in the future fully comply with the Endangered Species Act.[7]
Resources
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 https://web.archive.org/web/20240213175031/https://www.msha.gov/data-and-reports/statistics/mine-employment-and-coal-production. Archived from the original on 13 February 2024.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://www.e-mj.com/departments/this-month-in-coal/bhp-sells-navajo-mine/.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://navenergy.com/navajo/.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ BHP Billiton, Annual Report 2008", BHP Billiton, page 158.
- ↑ Navajo group seeks court intervention,Carol Berry, Indian Country Today, September 24, 2010.
- ↑ "Judge Suspends Navajo Mining Permit" Mireya Navarro, New York Times, November 1, 2010.
- ↑ "Groups sue over coal impact on San Juan River" Associated Press, Susan Montoya Bryan, February 2, 2011.
Related GEM.wiki articles
- BHP Billiton's coal interests
- New Mexico and coal
- U.S. coal politics
- Coal and jobs in the United States
- Coal phase-out
- Headquarters of U.S. coal mining companies
- Global list of coal mining companies and agencies
- Proposed coal mines
- Coal
To see a listing of coal mines in a particular state, click on the map:
External links
- "Major U.S. Coal Mines," Energy Information Administration
Articles and Resources
Additional data
To access additional data, including an interactive map of world coal mines, a downloadable dataset, and summary data, please visit the Global Coal Mine Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.
