Crow Tribe agrees to methane drilling

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26, 2002

The Crow Tribe of Montana has signed an exploration drilling deal with a Colorado company.

Bill Barrett Corp. will drill 80 pilot wells to tap potential coalbed methane resources on the reservation. If successful, hundreds more could be tapped.

Coalbed methane drilling in Montana and Wyoming has been extremely controversial. The Department of Interior has come under fire from the Environmental Protection Agency, ranchers, farmers and its own internal review board for impact studies deemed inadequate.

Get the Story:
Crow sign important methane gas pact (The Billlings Gazette 6/26)
Crow Nation enlists Barrett (The Denver Rocky Mountain News 6/26)
Barrett signs deal with Mont. tribe (The Denver Post 6/26)
Ranchers: Methane water killing trees (AP 6/26)

Relevant Links:
Griles Watch, Friends of the Earth - http://www.foe.org/eco/interior/griles/index.html
Montana DEQ Coal Bed Methane Plan - http://www.deq.state.mt.us/coalbedmethane/index.asp
Coalbed Methane, Region 8 - http://www.epa.gov/region08/water/
wastewater/npdeshome/cbm/cbm.html

Related Stories:
Meeting held to discuss drilling debate (6/20)
Another Interior recusal on drilling (6/13)
Public negative on drilling plan (6/10)
Recusal didn't bar Griles involvement (5/27)
Worst rating goes to DOI study (5/17)
Interior and EPA trade shots on drilling (5/14)
Griles backs out on future drilling (5/10)
Griles discounts meeting invite (5/6)
Impact of drilling ruling considered (5/3)
Methane drilling study discussed (5/2)
Industry opposed to gas ruling (5/1)
Coalbed methane leases ruled illegal(4/30)
Griles accused of intimidation (4/25)
Coalbed methane drilling pushed (4/5)
Tribes host coalbed methane meetings (4/4)
Halt in methane drilling sought (2/21)
Coal methane plan released (2/20)
EPA meets with tribes on drilling (2/14)
Mont. tribe pushing water standards (1/23)
Mont. tribe developing water standards (12/20)
Methane standards to affect tribes (9/26)