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On Wednesday, the Fort Belknap Indian Tribes, the Gros Ventre and Assiniboine, sued the federal government over mismanagement of two bankrupt gold mines in their immediate area. While the reservation does not contain the two mines, the tribes allege that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) did not protect the tribe's natural resources from the effects of the gold mines. The tribes are not requesting financial restitution instead they would rather see full reclamation (or cleanup) of the mines. Currently, the BLM is still in the process of rereviewing the initial 1998 reclamation plan for the site.

Get the Story:
Tribes sue U.S. over damage at gold mines (The Billings Gazette 4/13)

Relevant Links:
Read the BLM plan for the mines and a summary of talks between the BLM and the tribe over the mines.
From the Indian Law Center: Environmental Protection: Fort Belknap/Zortman and Landusky Mines.

Related Journal article:
Reclamation and Closure of the Zortman-Landusky Mines. Indian Rights -- Human Rights. Winter 1999 Vol. 6, No. 1.