And now:Sonja Keohane <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes:
Sounds as if the Crow are in a good bargaining position. It's been
a long time in coming,imo.
<http://www.billingsgazette.com/>
Thursday, February 18, 1999
Crow seek to settle 2 issues before making water deal
By LORNA THACKERAY
Of The Gazette Staff
No "deal breaking" issues emerged Wednesday during the second public
negotiating session between state, Crow Tribal and federal officials trying
to hammer out a water-rights compact in time for the 1999 Montana
Legislature to take a vote.
Most of what negotiators discussed during a daylong session at the Sheraton
Billings Hotel were requests for additional information that may affect the
details of the compact but not the overall effort to reach an agreement.
But Crow Tribal Attorney Robert Pelcyger made it clear that there would be
no water agreement if two other nettlesome issues can't be resolved at the
same time. Those controversies include the tribe's attempt to collect
millions of dollars in coal severance taxes that the state illegally
collected on Crow-owned coal and its attempt to obtain compensation for
continuous violations of limitations set in Section 2 of the Crow Allotment
Act of 1920 on the amount of land that nontribal members can own on the
reservation.
---end of excerpt---
