"Elouise Cobell, a member of the Blackfoot Tribe in Montana, has been trying for 14 years to get a settlement from the federal government for swindling Indian tribes out of royalties for oil, gas and grazing leases.

There’s a settlement in the works, provided tribal and government attorneys can stop squabbling. U.S. District Judge James Robertson has reluctantly granted what he says will be a final delay, to May 28, on the part of Congress to approve a $3.4 billion settlement.

“From where I sit, the settlement appears to be a win-win proposition,” Judge Robertson said at a court hearing Thursday. “It needs to be done.”

Still, there are opponents who complain the settlement favors the government and the Cobell team. And Cobell herself says “we were owed much more money.”

But she also says the fight could go on for hundreds of years. Or at least 14, and surely neither side wants that."

Get the Story:
Editorial: Do they want 14 more years? (The Idaho State Journal 4/9)

Relevant Documents:
Agreement | Press Release | Q&A | Audio

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