Navajo lawmakers fund study of coal mine

March 29, 2013

Lawmakers on the Navajo Nation have voted to pursue the possible purchase of a coal mine. 

During a special session of the Navajo Nation Council in Window Rock on Friday, legislators approved a $2.3 million analysis of whether the tribe should buy the Navajo Mine.

Late last year, the tribe announced its intention to buy the mine, located in northwest New Mexico. It’s the only source of coal for the Four Corners Power Plant.

The nation already paid $750,000 for a report outlining basic questions. The $2.3 million will pay for an independent analysis of the legal and financial implications of the purchase.

Navajo lawmakers said they need to decide for sure whether they will buy the mine by the end of June.