Press Releases

The U.S. Department of the Interior presented Peabody Energy's Kayenta Mine with its Director's Award for reclamation as part of a 25th anniversary celebration of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act. Kayenta Mine earned the U.S. Office of Surface Mining (OSM) award for innovative programs to protect cultural, historic and archaeological resources on Arizona's Black Mesa.

For each of the past three years, Peabody mines and affiliates have earned the OSM Director's Award. Operations have been recognized for developing prime farmland in Illinois and Indiana and for exemplary reforestation in Western Kentucky. Peabody operations have earned 20 national, state and professional reclamation awards in the past three years.

Kayenta and Black Mesa mines are operated on Navajo and Hopi lands through lease agreements with the two tribes. Many Navajo families live near the mine and maintain a traditional lifestyle with close ties to the land, underscoring the importance of protecting archaeological resources and restoring mined land. Major programs include:

  -- Archaeological Preservation, conducting the Black Mesa Archeology
     Project, an extensive, 17-year archaeological investigation that
     explored the mining lease area and recovered more than 1 million
     artifacts.  The investigation, which is recognized as the longest
     running archaeological study in North America, yielded a rich history
     of the ancient people of the Black Mesa.  The project involved more
     than 700 people from 12 universities and colleges and was conducted
     with participation from the Hopi Tribe and the Navajo Nation.  About
     2,600 sites were surveyed and analyzed and more than 1 million
     artifacts were recovered and remain the property of the Hopi and
     Navajo.
  -- Rangeland Development, creating a comprehensive, ecologically based
     reclamation program to restore mined land for livestock grazing,
     wildlife habitat and cultural plant cultivation.  Working with both
     tribes, medicine men and herbalists, the program promotes an exchange
     of traditional ways and ensures reclamation meets unique tribal needs.
     Mined lands are typically returned to a condition that is up to 20
     times more productive for grazing than native range.  Peabody also has
     introduced a managed grazing program that enables area residents to run
     their livestock on more than 3,500 reclaimed acres under regulatory
     oversight.
  -- Cultural Plant Restoration, refining the cultural plant program that
     restores plants for medicinal, ceremonial and cultural needs.  The
     program has identified more than 120 species with cultural significance
     and has resulted in the planting of about 235,000 seedlings on 170
     acres throughout the mine complex.  Procedures include collecting
     native seed from the Black Mesa to ensure plants are genetically
     adapted and using comprehensive nursery practices to develop seedlings
     that have enhanced potential for survival and growth in the field.
     This program is unique in the industry and has earned a 1998 U.S. OSM
     Excellence in Reclamation Award and a 1996 American Society of Surface
     Mining and Reclamation Award.

"These programs demonstrate an innovative approach to reclamation that enables the Hopi and Navajo to balance cultural preservation with development of their tribal natural resources," said Peabody President and Chief Operating Officer Richard M. Whiting. "They also echo our principal of continuous environmental improvement by leaving the land in a condition that is as good or better than prior to mining."

The Kayenta and Black Mesa mines produce more than 13 million tons per year of low sulfur coal for the Mohave Generating Station near Laughlin, Nev., and the Navajo Generating Station near Page, Ariz., which provide low-cost electricity for more than 3.5 million Southwest families. Mining provides about 650 jobs on reservation lands, making Peabody one of the largest private employers of Native Americans. More than 90 percent of the Black Mesa work force is American Indian. The operations inject about $2 million weekly into tribal economies in terms of coal and water royalties, wages, benefits, contributions and scholarships.

Peabody Energy is the world's largest private-sector coal company, with 2001 sales of 194 million tons of coal and $2.7 billion in revenues. Its coal products fuel more than 9 percent of all U.S. electricity generation and more than 2 percent of worldwide electricity generation.

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SOURCE: Peabody Energy