Purchase of Choctaw and Chickasaw Indian Nations' Coal and Asphalt Lands1976-04-01unknownhttp://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NKC/1.0/enghttp://congressarchives.org/record/CAC_CC_001_4_1_82_0001The Department of the Interior has signed a contract to purchase 300,000 acres of coal and asphalt lands from the Choctaw and Chickasaw Indian Nations in Oklahoma for $8.5 million. The lands contain high-grade bituminous coal and a large amount of coal reserves. The contract is subject to ratification by the Nations and Congress, and approval would end a 45-year federal trusteeship over the lands. The lands were originally reserved in 1902 but were never sold until now. The purchase price is considered full compensation for the Nations' interest in the properties.