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Chapter 7, Key Finding 3

Fossil fuel and uranium energy resources beneath tribal lands in the United States and Canada are substantial, comprising, in the United States, 30% of coal reserves west of the Mississippi River, 50% of potential uranium reserves, and 20% of known oil and gas reserves, together worth nearly $1.5 trillion. Fossil fuel extraction and uranium mining on native lands have resulted in emissions of carbon dioxide and methane during extraction and fuel burning. Energy resource extraction on tribal lands also has resulted in substantial ecosystem degradation and deforestation, further contributing to carbon emissions.