A federal coal land swap in south-central Montana intended to benefit Signal Peak Energy and, indirectly, the Crow Tribe received a key U.S. Senate vote Wednesday. Transferring ownership to the Joe and Barbara Hope Mineral Trust means the coal can be mined without meeting federal land standards of review. The Hope Ranch acreage had coal potential that Signal Peak explored for mining in 2013, but never developed. When the swap was initially proposed in 2024, the county indicated that after the coal was in private hands, the local government would lose $32 million in federal coal royalties. Schatz’s attempt to set minimum payouts to the Crow Tribe was an affront to tribal sovereignty, he said.