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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2001

The Supreme Court on Tuesday turned down an appeal that could have opened up sacred sites and other environmental resources in northwestern Montana to oil and gas drilling.

Witthout comment, the Court declined an appeal by the the Independent Petroleum Association of America. The group claimed the U.S. Forest Service, an agency of the Department of Agriculture, had denied the right to drill in Montana's Rocky Mountain Front only because tribes used for religious purposes.

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in May had rejected the argument. The Supreme Court's action lets stand the decision.

Mountain States Legal Foundation, for whom Secretary of Interior Gale Norton used to work, was appealing the case on behalf of the gas group.

Get the Story:
No drilling on Front (AP 11/15)
Drilling plan for Montana dealt setback (The Denver Post 11/15)