The Crow Tribe of Montana says coal development provides jobs and revenues on the reservation.

A coal mine on the reservation has provided steady income for the past 40 years. "[I]t's basically our bread and butter," Chairman Darrin Old Coyote told KIRO Radio.

Development won't be ending any time soon as the tribe sits atop an estimated 9 billion tons of coal. One plan calls to export the resources to Asia through shipping terminals in Washington but the plan has drawn opposition from environmental groups and tribes in the Pacific Northwest.

The state of Washington plans to conduct a lengthy environmental review of the project.

Get the Story:
The case for coal trains you haven't heard: The Crow Indian Tribe (KIRO Radio 9/12)

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