EPA Standards Could Threaten Navajos' Use of Coal in Home
Posted: Wed. Dec. 26, 2012 8:27 pm
not sure if this is the best place for this. i'm back in NM for Christmas and saw this article in the local paper.
you see navajos along the major roads here near the reservation selling bagged bit coal out of pickups for $8-10 a bag. many navajos live way off the beaten path where coal or wood is just about the only heating option, with coal being far cheaper, bang-for-the-buck-wise.
you see navajos along the major roads here near the reservation selling bagged bit coal out of pickups for $8-10 a bag. many navajos live way off the beaten path where coal or wood is just about the only heating option, with coal being far cheaper, bang-for-the-buck-wise.
Though rare in other parts of the country, the use of coal to heat homes is surprisingly common on the 27,000 square-mile Navajo Nation.
For miles upon miles, homes dot the countryside from their roofs, tiny plumes of soot smoke through blackened chimney tops. Inside the homes, stoves are backed into the corner and are stuffed with shiny lumps of coal, a readily available and cheap resource on the reservation.
Of the reservation's wealth of natural resources, coal is one of the most frequently used in the every day life of the Navajo. It warms their homes, and provides them with jobs. Recent events threaten both winter warmth and job security for the future.
http://www.daily-times.com/ci_22202390/epa-standa ... -coal-home