Navajo and Hopi nations fight the environmentalists

Remember him? Remember how the American Indian was the symbol for a cleaner America? Remember how the commercials couldn't use a "real" Indian? Granted, the commercials helped clean up the trash, but, now the environmentalists are going after the Indian reservations.

Now its a war over coal. Instead of living in an fantasy world, the Navajo and Hopi live in the real world. The Navajo and Hopi nations are fighting with environmentalists because they mine (gasp!) coal. Amazing what the bottom line and making a living does.

Navajo President Joe Shirley Jr. and Hopi lawmakers say environmentalists' efforts could hurt the tribes' struggling economies by slowing or stopping coal mining.

Shirley said Wednesday that he will stand in solidarity with the Hopi Tribe, and joined Hopi lawmakers in encouraging other tribes to re-evaluate their relationships with environmentalists.

"Environmentalists are good at identifying problems but poor at identifying feasible solutions," Shirley said in a news release. "Most often they don't try to work with us but against us, giving aid and comfort to those opposed to the sovereign decision-making of tribes."

Of course they are against uranium mining. For purely environmental reasons, of course. Nuclear plants don't compete with coal fired plants, no, not at all.