Crow tribe leases 145 million tons of coal The new Crow Tract I lease, formalized during a ceremony

Crow tribe leases 145 million tons of coal The new Crow Tract I lease, formalized during a ceremony on Thursday, will mean millions of dollars to the Crow Tribe and a longer life for the Absaroka coal mine. Hundreds of tribal members gathered at the Multipurpose Building in Crow Agency to watch tribal leaders and representatives of Westmoreland Coal Co. sign the documents. The ceremony included speeches, music, prayer and a lunch afterward hosted by Westmoreland for as many as 600 people. Representatives for Sens. Max Baucus and Jon Tester, as well as Rep. Steve Daines also read letters offering their congratulations. Tribal leaders donned ceremonial headdress for the occasion. Intricately beaded items decorated the stage where the speeches and the signing took place. The agreement involves an estimated 145 million more tons of Rosebud McKay coal, located adjacent to the Absaroka mine. The area covers an estimated 14,000 acres in Treasure and Big Horn counties. The lease, subject to approval by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, will allow Westmoreland to control 357 million tons of coal reserves and resources. It is worth $12.5 million in bonus and advance royalty payments to the tribe over the next four and a half years. That’s crucial because a majority of the tribe’s annual operating budget, along with per capita payments to tribal members, come from Westmoreland coal royalties. The agreement also offers hiring and contract preferences for tribal members. Chairman Darrin Old Coyote, who made some of his remarks in Crow, spelled out the details of the lease to his audience. He then asked tribal members who work at the mine to stand up. “The largest percentage of the budget of the Crow Tribe, and the per-cap you get three times a year, comes from the hard work of these gentlemen,” Old Coyote said.  -- source link

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