Peabody, a leading global coal company serving power and steel customers in more than 25 countries on six continents, operates the Kayenta Mine in northeast Arizona. The mine is located on reservation lands and operates through lease agreements with the Navajo Nation and Hopi Tribe to supply coal to the Navajo Generating Station in Page, Ariz.
In fact, 99 percent of Kayenta’s represented workforce is Native American, and wages and benefits for a typical miner at this operation are 10 times higher than the Navajo Nation per capita income. The mine employs 345 full-time employees.
In addition to creating high-wage jobs for local tribes, the mine is a major contributor to the local economy. Last year, the mine sold 6.2 million tons of coal and created $440 million in direct and indirect economic benefits to the community.
Dwight Lomaintewa, a 33-year-old who lives in the Hopi village of Mishongnovi, recently told the Associated Press that a steady job at Peabody’s Kayenta Mine means his family can stay on the reservation and his children can learn the language and traditions.
Peabody’s Kayenta Mine is a key part of the economic success of Hopi and Navajo communities in Arizona.