On September 21, 2015,
the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) recommended
that the Departments of Agriculture and Interior revoke the Solenex Company’s
permit to drill a single exploratory gas well in the Badger-Two Medicine area.
The ACHP also requested cancellation of the lease authorizing Solenex to
develop federal oil and gas reserves in the area.
In 1982, the U.S.
Forest Service and BLM gave to Fina – now Solenex – the right to develop oil
and gas resources in the Lewis and Clark National Forest, Montana. The
Badge-Two Medicine area is located within the National Forest and is designated
as a Traditional Cultural District (TCD) under the National Register of
Historic Places. The lease has been suspended since 1985 due to concerns from
the Blackfeet Tribe that such project will adversely affect the religious and
cultural value of the area.
In 2013, Solenex filed
a lawsuit in federal court against the U.S. Department of Interior challenging
the action of the federal government to suspend its rights to drill a single
exploratory gas well within the TCD. The case Solenex LLC v. Jewell et al. remains pending in U.S. District Court
for the District of Columbia at docket no. 1:13-cv-00993.
As part of their
recommendations, the ACHP observed that “[t]he proposed gas exploration and
development would introduce activities and intrusions incompatible with the TCD
and its unique qualities.” They also pointed out that “no mitigation measures
would achieve an acceptable balance between historic preservation concerns and
the undertaking [of the TCD].”
Written by Chloe Marie - Research Fellow
09/24/2015
No comments:
Post a Comment