BILLINGS — American Indian tribes on two Montana reservations have been awarded a combined $600,000 under a federal program to clean up contaminated properties.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announcement was part of $62 million in grants awarded nationwide.
The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes will get $400,000 to assess contamination at a dozen or more sites. Those include former gas stations, dumps, junk yards and mill sites where soil and groundwater contamination prevent redevelopment.
The Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes will get $200,000 to clean up the Old Poplar Airport site in Poplar, which was contaminated with pesticides and metals because it was used for crop dusting.
When the cleanup is done, the tribes plan to redevelop the land for commercial use, tribal housing and green space.
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