A power struggle is underway in the Hopi Tribal Council over a proposal to merge the Kayenta and Black Mesa coal mines [right, credit Sacredlands.org] into a single operating permit and set the stage for expanded mining in the future.
Indian Country Today newspaper reports that charges and counter-charges are being filed against tribal council members over the 758-page federal EIS for the mine expansion project.
The Kayenta mine supplies the Navajo Generating Station near Page. The Black Mesa mine supplied coal to the Mohave Generating Station in Nevada until that power plant shut down in 2005.