Tribes turn to other heat sources after coal mine closure

Polacca, Ariz. • Navajo and Hopi families in northeastern Arizona that have long relied on coal to heat their homes are looking to other sources after last year’s closure of a coal mine.The Kayenta Mine shut down after decades of supplying the Navajo Generating Station near Page along the Arizona-Utah border. The Navajo and Hopi tribes shared in the coal royalties.Tribal members also had access to the coal, regularly loading the long-burning fossil fuel into pickup trucks or buying it