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A6   U.S. NEWS
                 Wednesday 26 september


















            Judge restores energy lease on Montana land sacred to tribes




            By MATTHEW BROWN                                                                       Obama-era  lease  cancel-    you waited too long."
             Associated Press                                                                      lation in court were review-  Because  the  lease  had
            BILLINGS,  Mont.  (AP)  —  A                                                           ing the ruling, which was is-  been  under  a  longstand-
            judge reinstated an oil and                                                            sued late Monday, U.S. Jus-  ing suspension when it was
            gas lease on land in north-                                                            tice  Department  spokes-    canceled,  its  status  after
            western  Montana  consid-                                                              man  Wyn  Hornbuckle  said  the ruling was uncertain.
            ered sacred to some tribes                                                             Tuesday.  He  declined  to  Interior  Department  repre-
            in  the  U.S.  and  Canada                                                             comment  on  a  potential  sentatives  did  not  immedi-
            —  a  ruling  that  could  test                                                        appeal.                      ately  respond  to  questions
            the  depths  of  the  Trump                                                            Solenex has held the lease  about the lease's status.
            administration's  support  for                                                         for  more  than  30  years.  It  Pendley  and  Preso  specu-
            the energy industry.                                                                   had not yet drilled because  lated that the lease would
            President  Barack  Obama's                                                             of  numerous  bureaucratic  remain  suspended,  mean-
            Interior  Department  im-                                                              delays  within  the  U.S.  de-  ing drilling could not begin
            properly   canceled     the                                                            partments  of  Interior  and  pending  further  action  by
            nearly       10-square-mile                                                            Agriculture  that  prompted  the  court  or  government
            (26-square-kilometer) lease                                                            the  company  to  sue  in  officials.  The  Badger-Two
            adjacent  to  Glacier  Na-                                                             2013.                        Medicine area is part of the
            tional Park in 2016, U.S. Dis-                                                         An  attorney  for  conserva-  Rocky  Mountain  Front,  a
            trict Judge Richard Leon in                                                            tion  groups  and  members  scenic expanse of forested
            Washington,  D.C.,  said  this    In this March 25, 2016, file photo, the sun sets over the Badger-  of  the  Blackfeet  tribe  who  mountains that's been sub-
            week.                        Two Medicine area near Browning, Mont.                    intervened in the case said  ject to a long campaign to
            Solenex    LLC   of   Baton                                           Associated Press   it  was  frustrating  to  have  block oil and gas develop-
            Rouge,  Louisiana,  holds                                                              the  lease  reinstated  given  ment and mining.
            the lease and wants to drill  pany proceed with drilling.  the  government  is  agree-  how  long  it  took  to  get  it  Congress  in  2006  provided
            for gas. It's within the Bad-  He  argued  that  a  failure  ing you have a right to drill."  canceled.             tax  breaks  and  other  in-
            ger  Two-Medicine  area  of  to reverse the Obama ad-     Interior Secretary Ryan Zin-  "Conservationists  and  cer-  centives that prompted 29
            Lewis  and  Clark  National  ministration decision would  ke has made energy devel-    tainly  the  Blackfeet  have  leaseholders  to  relinquish
            Forest — site of the creation  leave all oil and gas leases  opment a top priority. Zinke  been  screaming  at  the  their drilling rights, but some
            story of the Blackfoot tribes  granted  under  Trump  in  last  year  recommended  government  for  years  that  leaseholders  declined  the
            of  southern  Canada  and  danger of being ended un-      designating  the  Badger-    this lease was illegal," attor-  offers. Fifteen leases in the
            Montana's  Blackfeet  Na-    der future presidents.       Two Medicine as a national  ney  Tim  Preso  said.  "Unfor-  area were given up volun-
            tion.                        "The  right  to  drill  on  these  monument, but that would  tunately,  the  government  tarily  by  Devon  Energy  in
            Solenex  attorney  William  leases  cannot  be  denied,"  not  automatically  bar  drill-  had  not  responded  in  a  2016, and the government
            Perry  Pendley  urged  Presi-  Pendley said. "This is a prop-  ing.                    timely  fashion  and  when  canceled  what  had  been
            dent  Donald  Trump's  ad-   erty  right,  and  it's  well  set-  Government   attorneys  they  did  get  around  to  the  last  two  leases  in  the
            ministration to let the com-  tled: When you get a lease,  who  had  defended  the  canceling it, the court says  area last year.q
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