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THURSDAY, MARCH 27, 2003

A bill to help pay for water treatment at two abandoned mines near the Fort Belknap Reservation in Montana passed a State House committee on Wednesday.

State Rep. Jonathan Windy Boy (D), a member of the Chippewa Cree Tribe, introduced the proposal to leverage existing royalty funds to pay for reclamation. But his bill was modified to require that no state funds be used until the federal government contributes $10 million for water treatment. He said this could delay progress.

The Zortman-Landusky gold mines are located on the southern border of the Fort Belknap Reservation.

Get the Story:
Zortman cleanup bill alive (The Billings Gazette 3/27)
Amended Zortman cleanup bill advances (The Great Falls Tribune 3/27)

Get the Bill:
HB 367

Relevant Documents:
Record of Decision | Final Environmental Impact Statement

Relevant Links:
Fort Belknap Community Council - http://tlc.wtp.net/fort.htm

Related Stories:
Mont. tribal members want mines cleaned up (03/19)
Mont. tribes offer mine tours (05/30)
Tribes plan to challenge mine plan (5/6)
Mont. tribes want mine cleanup (5/3)
Cleanup of mine near reservation costly (1/9)
Fort Belknap tribes push mine cleanup (10/1)
Mont. tribes lose mining auction (9/5)