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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2002

The state of Montana and the Bureau of Land Management, an agency of the Department of Interior, have released a draft environmental analysis affecting coalbed methane development in the state.

Comments are being accepted until May 15 on one of five options. The proposed alternative would require companies to submit development plans and water management plans.

The draft is the result of a lawsuit filed by the Northern Plains Resource Council, a preservation group that claimed the state was allowing development without an environmental analysis. A moratorium will remain in place until a final report is released.

Get the Story:
Agencies’ coalbed report offers 5 possible policies (The Billings Gazette 2/20)
How to comment on the draft coalbed methane environmental analysis (The Billings Gazette 2/20)

Relevant Links:
Montana DEQ Coal Bed Methane Plan - http://www.deq.state.mt.us/coalbedmethane/index.asp
Northern Plains Resource Council - http://www.nprcmt.org

Related Stories:
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)