kayenta mine

A unique partnership is addressing a home heating crisis on the Navajo and Hopi Nations, by supplying hundreds of cords of firewood from forest restoration projects. KNAU’s Melissa Sevigny reports.

The Kayenta coal mine in northeastern Arizona shut down last year, along with the power plant it supplied. Coal from that mine used to light up Las Vegas and Los Angeles and supply the electricity to pump water to Phoenix and Tucson. Those cities have been able to turn to other sources of energy. Not so on the Hopi and Navajo Nations. For decades tribal members relied on Kayenta coal to heat their homes, and now it’s their first winter without reliable or affordable fuel. KNAU’s Melissa Sevigny reports on what Hopi community leaders call a devastating crisis.

Peabody Energy will lay off nearly its entire workforce at the Kayenta Mine this month as it prepares to close the site. KNAU’s Ryan Heinsius reports, coal industry critics say the company is abandoning local communities.

Almost all of the workers at the Kayenta Mine on the Navajo Nation are facing layoffs in the coming weeks. KNAU’s Ryan Heinsius reports, Peabody Energy will cease operations as its sole coal customer, the Navajo Generating Station, is also slated to close.