A Tribe Takes on Coal

A Tribe Takes on Coal

The Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation spans 444,000 acres of rolling plains, ponderosa pines, and rivers winding through deep valleys in southeastern Montana. Above it all towers the smokestacks of one of the largest and dirtiest coal power plants in the country: the Colstrip Steam Electric Station. The Tribe’s reservation lies in the middle of the Powder River Basin, the largest coal-producing region in the United States. More than 43% of al…