Page 14 - Flathead Beacon // 11.23.16

NEWS
Feds Cancel Drilling Leases in Sacred Badger-Two Medicine Blackfeet leaders celebrate 35-year ght to protect cultural grounds
BY TRISTAN SCOTT OF THE BEACON
Wearing ceremonial headdresses and anked by Sec- retary of the Interior Sally Jewell, Blackfeet leaders on Nov. 16 signed papers in Washington D.C. canceling 15 energy exploration leases in the Badger-Two Medicine region near Glacier National Park, marking an historic moment that draws the tribe one step closer to furnish- ing permanent protection on the sacred ground.
“This is a historic day as we release 15 leases in an area that should never have been opened for energy leas- ing,” Jewell said of the Badger-Two Medicine, which encompasses 130,000 acres along Montana’s Rocky Mountain Front.
Standing beside David Hager, CEO of Devon Energy, which stands as the largest leaseholder remaining in the Badger-Two Medicine, Harry Barnes, chairman of the Blackfeet Tribal Business Council, thanked the com- pany for voluntarily relinquishing the leases.
Devon Energy acquired its 15 leases through a merger with another company, but has never acted to explore or develop them.
“We’re grateful that this administration and the lead- ership at Devon Energy have taken such a visionary step toward permanent protection of this area,” Barnes said.
Under the terms of the cancellation, Devon is enti- tled to a refund for all bids and other payments totaling $206,058. Half of that amount will come from a Treasury Department account that receives royalties from onshore oil and gas development and half will come from the state of Montana, which also receives royalty payments.
Blackfeet elder Earl Old Person sang a blessing for the ceremony, while leaders gave credit to tribal his- toric preservation o cer John Murray, who developed scienti c-backed evidence to support the tribe’s oral traditions about the cultural signi cance of the region.
U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, was also on hand at the ceremony, calling the Badger-Two Medicine “one of
U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell listens to a drum circle alongside Harry Barnes, chairman of the Blackfeet Tribal Business Council, during a visit to the Blackfeet Indian Reservation earlier this year. BEACON FILE PHOTO
the most pristine landscapes in the country, if not the world.”
“There are plenty of places where we can drill and dig in this country, but the Badger-Two Medicine is not one of those places,” said U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, who attended the ceremony in Washington.
Still, the ght to permanently protect Blackfeet sacred sites continues. At least one leaseholder has led suit, asking the U.S. District Court to reinstate its lease
so the company can begin drilling. The court has yet to rule, though initial brie ngs have been led. Two other leases, covering 11,622 acres, remain in the Badger-Two Medicine.
“We will continue our battle until all of the remain- ing leases are canceled and the Badger-Two Medicine is permanently protected,” Murray said.
tscott@ atheadbeacon.com
Blackfeet Water Compact Sails Through Key Committee
Despite approval from state Legislature six years ago, tribal water rights measure still requires congressional approval
BY TRISTAN SCOTT OF THE BEACON
In a unanimous vote Wednesday, the
U.S. House Natural Resources Commit- tee passed the Blackfeet Water Rights Settlement Act, moving one step closer toward full congressional approval of the historic compact, which has been await- ing rati cation since 2010.
Now it must pass the U.S. House of Representatives before the year is out.
Negotiations between the Blackfeet Tribe, local communities and state and federal governments began more than 30 years ago to establish water rights in and around the reservation. The com- pact will also help rehabilitate the Four Horns Dam and long-neglected, cen- tury-old Blackfeet Irrigation Project; give the tribe the ability to use, lease or exchange water on tribal land; and pro- tect the rights of non-Indian water users and members of the Fort Belknap Indian
Community.
It also includes provisions that pro-
tect o -reservation farmers and ranch- ers who rely upon the water for irrigation purposes.
The water compact with the Blackfeet Tribe still has not received congressional approval since its introduction in 2010, despite the bipartisan support of Mon- tana’s entire congressional delegation.
U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, has introduced the Blackfeet measure four times — in 2010, 2011, 2013, and 2016.
U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Montana, has also been an advocate of ratifying the compact, and said approval by the House Natural Resource Committee signi es progress for the beleaguered bill.
“This is a giant step forward, truly his- toric,” Zinke said in a statement. “The Blackfeet have waited the longest and given up the most.”
U.S. Sen. Steve Daines also applauded
the compact’s passage.
“I’m thrilled to see this milestone for
the Blackfeet water rights settlement,” the Republican senator said in a state- ment. “This compact is long overdue and I remain committed to seeing it enacted into law.”
Blackfeet Tribal Business Council member Roland Kennerly traveled to Washington, D.C., for the vote, noting that his father worked to help craft the compact.
“The water compact bene ts Montana and the tribe because of economic devel- opment for our members and also for use for people downstream like farmers and ranchers. It will promote a lot of jobs for our members,” Kennerly said.
“It’s a great day for the Blackfeet. It has been a long process for many, many years; my father worked on it through- out the years and we are joyful we got it through the markup.”
The U.S. Senate nally passed the Blackfeet water rights deal in Septem- ber, the furthest the agreement between the tribe and the state of Montana had advanced since its introduction in 2010.
The high-ticket compact came with a $420 million price tag, making it the state’s second-largest Indian water rights settlement, but the funding has not been approved as part of the compact legislation.
Among other provisions, the Black- feet Water Rights Settlement Act of 2016 would establish the tribe’s water rights in all six drainages within the reservation, including St. Mary River, Milk River, Cut Bank Creek, Two Medicine River, Badger Creek and Birch Creek. It would also give the Blackfeet Tribe the ability to use, lease, contract, or exchange water on tribal land, and protect the tribe’s water rights from development by others.
tscott@ atheadbeacon.com
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NOVEMBER 23, 2016 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM