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MONDAY, APRIL 1, 2002

In an editorial today, The Billings Gazette calls on a coal development project near the Northern Cheyenne Reservation to move forward now that the tribe and a Montana development board have come to an agreement.

But it appears Secretary of Interior Gale Norton is holding up work, the paper says. "We're eagerly waiting to hear from Norton that the coal-rich tracts . . . have been turned over to the state," the paper writes.

Norton is authorized to transfer the tracts to the state. The tribe, seeking conditions on development, filed a lawsuit to stop the exchange.

The tribe has since withdrawn its suit after reaching an agreement with the State Land Board on hiring, cultural and environmental issues. But instead of complaining about the deal, the paper says the critics should let the board do its job and begin work on the project immediately.

Get the Story:
Opinion: Otter Creek transfer should move forward (The Billings Gazette 4/1)

Related Stories:
Norton pressed on Mont. coal transfer (3/20)
Mont. tribe seeks development (3/19)
Cheyenne coal deal approved (2/20)
Progress made on mining agreement (2/1)
Coal tracts subject of lawsuit (1/29)