The mine is situated on land owned by the Navajo people outside of Shiprock, New Mexico, according to Vice.
Despite all that revenue, the community surrounding the mine often live in impoverished conditions, with many going without electricity or running water in their houses, Grist reports.
At the heart of the issue is the fact that WestBlock is able to take advantage of the cheap electricity in the area while residents go without it.
“For us, picking up the offload, we solved a problem for them,” Ken MacLean, CEO of WestBlock, told Vice.
She added that outsiders “have reaped the benefits for half a century.