How a Coal Mine in Montana Could Screw the Navajo Nation Photo: Byron C. Shorty (AP) The overwhelming economic consensus is that coal is out, renewables are in. Yet one company, associated with the Navajo Nation, doesn’t seem to have gotten the message—and may be weighing the tribe down with more coal baggage as the rest of the country moves on. Advertisement A judge last week blocked the expansion of the Spring Creek Mine in Montana, ruling that the federal government needs to issue an updated environmental review to more closely examine the impacts of mining more coal in the region. The ruling marked the latest development in a years-long struggle over Spring Creek, the largest mine in the state.