Native Voice One - The Native American Radio Network

Train cars of Montana coal headed for markets.(Mark Trahant photo) What if the United States bought all of the coal reserves owned by American Indian tribes, Alaska Native village corporations, and individuals? This is Trahant Reports. What if? Two words that ought to be the every day language in politics. What if we imagined? I have been thinking a lot of “what ifs?” when it comes to coal. Coal is a paradox for several Native American communities. The United Nations says that nearly 90 percent of proven coal reserves are “unburnable” and should be left in the ground. 
But historically the industry has created good paying jobs and now it’s in sharp decline (Mostly because of market forces, the availability of inexpensive natural gas). Yet stakeholders — workers and even a few tribes — blame the government for too many regulations. And, on the flip side, many of those working to change the energy paradigm demand that coal be left in the ground without thinking through the consequences to families who earn