The Navajo Nation has lost one of its major revenue sources with the closing of a controversial coal mine in northeastern Arizona.

The tribe received about $29 million in royalties every year from the Black Mesa Mine operated by Peabody Energy. The facility was located on Navajo and Hopi land.

The mine shut down because its sole customer -- the Mohave Generating Station in Nevada -- shut down. Southern California Edison, the station's operator, said the cost of installing new equipment was too high.

"It's jobs. That's how the Navajo Nation looks at it," Navajo spokesperson George Hardeen told The Las Vegas Review-Journal.

The Hopi Tribe received about $6 million a year in royalties, about a third of its budget.

Get the Story:
Edison to Decommission Coal-Fired Power Plant in Laughlin (AP 6/10)
Laughlin coal-fired power plant going away (The Las Vegas Review-Journal 6/11)
Coal era ends for Mohave station (The Arizona Republic 6/11)
California Edison closes Mohave Generating Station in Laughlin ... for good (The Kingman Daily Miner 6/10)