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THURSDAY, APRIL 11, 2002

Representatives of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe were on hand Wednesday for the official transfer of coal tracts to the state of Montana.

A member of the tribal council and a tribal elder expressed hope that that development of the highly lucrative Otter Coal Tracts would benefit the local community and be done in a culturally sensitive way. Gov. Judy Martz pledged to work with the tribe, which signed an agreement with the state over the transfer.

The Department of Interior was mandated by law to hand over the tracts, which contain an estimated 533 million tons of high quality coal.

In an editorial, The Billings Gazette says all parties must come together to ensure success. "Indeed, if Otter Creek is to be our 'greatest asset,' Montanans must work together," the paper says.

Get the Story:
Signed, Sealed, Delivered: Montana owns Otter Creek Coal (The Billings Gazette 4/11)
Coal prospects have Eastern Montana salivating (The Billings Gazette 4/11)
Editorial: Time to work on Otter Creek development (The Billings Gazette 4/11)

Related Stories:
Coal tracts to be transferred (4/10)
Norton pressed on Mont. coal transfer (3/20)
Mont. tribe seeks development (3/19)
Cheyenne coal deal approved (2/20)
Progress made on mining agreement (2/1)
Coal tracts subject of lawsuit (1/29)