Coal to Diesel on Indian Reservation?

Question

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=2...

1) If they have the coal NOW why don't they just sell it at today's record prices?

2) Aren't minerals on Indian Reservations, whether coal or oil or diamonds, the property of a government bureau which pays the tribes a small amount, like giving children an allowance?

3) Do tribes and their governments adhere to the same pollution requirements as non-reservation chemical processing plants?

Enquiring minds gotta know.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601081&sid=askyXW8KkEk8

Answer 1

1. That's their decision

2. No. Tribal lands belong to the tribes, not the government.

3. No. Tribes are sovereign nations, they adhere to their own rules.

Answer 2

If the coal exists on a reservation, it is up to the tribes to decide when and if they wish to sell it.  Tribal lands are actually separate nations from the United States and have always been considered separate.  They are not the property of the federal government or any of its agencies.  Tribal councils make their own pollution control standards and generally have higher standards in this area, which is one reason they do not sell coal.