Planned coal mine near Zuni Salt
Lake sparks events, Senate testimony
By
Dan Frazier
Tea Party Editor
A series of
events took place during July to bring attention to the threats
posed to sites held sacred by various American Indian tribes. These
events culminated July 17 when various American Indian leaders and
others spoke at a hearing before the Senate Indian Affairs Committee
on The Protection of Native American Sacred Places. Those who spoke
at the hearing included Vernon Masayesva
of Black Mesa Trust. Masayesva spoke about the concerns of the Hopi
people whose springs have been drying up in recent years. Masayesva
believes Peobody Coal Company’s use of underground water is to
blame for the problem. (See related story.) The Hopi people consider
water to be sacred.
In New
Mexico, the Zuni Tribe is facing a similar problem. Zuni Gov. Malcolm
Bowekaty spoke about the problem at the July 17 hearing held
in Washington, D.C.:
“The Zuni
Salt Lake is a sacred place. Located southeast of our Reservation in
west central New Mexico, this saline lake is a unique geological
feature and home to our Ma’lokyattsik’i, Salt Mother. For
centuries, indigenous tribes from the Southwest have made
pilgrimages to the Zuni Salt Lake to request spiritual guidance and
rain, make offerings, and collect salt for ceremonial, ritual and
domestic use. The surrounding land has always been respected as a
sanctuary zone, where warring tribes put weapons down and shared in
the sanctity of the Salt Mother. …
“The Zuni
Salt Lake is in real danger of disappearing. In the late 1980s, the
Salt River Project, an Arizona-based power company, began purchasing
land and applying for coal leases from the
Bureau of Land Management. SRP proposes to develop an 18,000-acre
coal strip mine 10 miles from the Lake. SRP also plans to use up to
85 gallons a minute of water a year for 40 years for mining
purposes. Finally, SRP proposes a 44-mile railroad corridor from the
proposed mine to the Coronado Generating Station, which would
dissect pilgrimage trails used by tribes for centuries. Last month,
to the dismay of the Zuni people, the Department of Interior
approved the Life of Mine Plan, which gives federal government
approval for this project.”
The Fence
Lake Coal Mine, as it is to be called, would help fuel the existing
Coronado power plant in St.John's, Ariz., about 40 miles away. The
plant supplies electricity to Phoenix and central
Arizona. The Zuni cite a study suggesting that water used at the
mine will deplete an aquifer that feeds Zuni Salt Lake. Mine
officials disagree, and point to other studies indicating that the
aquifer in question will not be affected.
Bowekaty’s
testimony was preceded by events in New Mexico intended to draw
attention to this latest threat to the Zuni, a tribe that faces
other serious problems including high rates of poverty, diabetes and
alcoholism. The events included a 260-mile run by members of various
Southwest tribes, and a press conference. Helping to organize these
events was Andy Bessler, a Flagstaff-based organizer for the Sierra
Club.
"The
700,000 members of the Sierra Club stand with the Zuni people,"
Bessler was quoted as saying in news reports. “This is no place
for a coal mine,” added Bessler.
The
260-mile run involved runners from Zuni, Hopi, Navajo, Yaqui, Pueblo
and other tribes. Long-distance runs have a traditional place in
tribal life, and have been used before to draw attention various
tribal concerns. Runners began their run in Phoenix early on the
morning of July 12. They began by hand-delivering a statement to the
SRP headquarters. The statement called on SRP to stop plans for its
Salt River Project. Runners arrived at Zuni Pueblo about noon on
July 14. A press release from the Zuni Salt Lake Coalition issued
prior to the run stated, “The traditional runners will help bring
support and strength for the Zuni Governor and other tribal leaders
as they leave for their appearance before the U.S. Senate
Hearings.” The Coalition includes the Sierra Club, the Citizens
Coal Council, the Center for Biological Diversity, and the Water
Information Network.
The
Coalition also participated in a press conference in Albuquerque on
July 16. According to Bessler, about 50 people attended, including tribal
leaders from Acoma, Laguna, Taos, Isletta and Zuni Pueblos. The
conference made headlines in many Southwest newspapers including Albuquerque
Journal, the Albuquerque Tribune, and the Arizona Daily Sun.
The
Albuquerque Tribune reported, “One
Zuni appeal of the mining permit is still alive in state courts. If
that and all other efforts fail, Zuni Councilman Dan Simplicio said
the tribe may well pursue litigation in federal courts.
Simplicio
was quoted as saying that the tribe is prepared to continue fighting
the mine outside of court, too.
"We
will not strap bombs on our backs," he said at the conference,
"we will strap civil
disobedience
behind us.”
Taos Pueblo
Gov. Vincent Lujan recalled at the press conference that his people
persevered during a 64-year struggle with the federal government
over the return of their sacred Blue Lake near Taos. Congress
finally returned the lake to Taos Pueblo in 1970.
"If
it's going to take that long for the Zuni Salt Lake, then we're
embarking on a big battle," Lujan said. "Support will come
from the Taos Pueblo. I promise you that."
Click
here to read the testimony of Zuni Gov. Malcolm
Bowekaty before the
Senate Indian Affairs Committee on The Protection of Native American
Sacred Places.
|
