The Northern Cheyenne Tribe of Montana has a stake in plans to mine coal near the reservation, a tribal official said at Gov. Brian Schweitzer's energy summit.

William Walks About, a former council member and current executive administrator, said the tribe has an agreement with the state over mining at Otter Creek. The agreement requires job training and job opportunities for tribal members, protection of cultural sites and resources, contract opportunities for Indian businesses and environmental monitoring.

The agreement was a settlement to the tribe's lawsuit that challenged the transfer of the Otter Creek coal tracts from the federal government to the state. Yet Walks About said the state seems to be forgetting that the tribe has a say in development.

Get the Story:
Cheyenne pact key in coal plans (The Billings Gazette 10/19)

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