A view of the Crow Reservation in Montana. Photo from Facebook

The Interior Department has sent out more than $298 million in offers to landowners on the Crow Reservation in Montana but only expects about 30 percent of people to accept.

The $298 million was the largest round under the Land Buy-Back Program for Tribal Nations. But DOI only has $102.9 million for actual purchases, The Billings Gazette reported.

“We’re just assuming that 30 percent may come back when it’s all said and done,” Debra Scott of the Bureau of Indian Affairs told the paper. “If that doesn’t occur, we’re going into a second wave.”

The $3.4 billion Cobell settlement provided $1.9 billion for Indian landowners who want to sell their fractionated interests. DOI will pay "fair market value" as required by the Indian Land Consolidation Act.

Since the program started last winter, DOI has successfully concluded more than $146.4 million in transactions, according to the press release. Nearly 280,000 acres have been transferred to tribes.

Get the Story:
Crow land buyback program reaches halfway mark (The Billings Gazette 10/25)

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