![Judge restores energy lease on Montana land sacred to tribes](http://townsquare.media/site/119/files/2018/09/RS16159_547227200.jpg?w=980&q=75)
Judge restores energy lease on Montana land sacred to tribes
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — A federal judge has reinstated an oil and gas lease on land in northwestern Montana that's considered sacred to some Native American tribes in the U.S. and Canada.
U.S. District Judge Richard Leon in Washington, D.C. said in a late Monday ruling that President Barack Obama's Interior Department improperly canceled the 6,200-acre lease adjacent to Glacier National Park in 2016.
The lease is held by Solenex, LLC of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It's within the Badger Two-Medicine area of Lewis and Clark National Forest — site of the creation story of the Blackfoot tribes of southern Canada and Montana's Blackfeet Nation.
Solenex attorney William Perry Pendley says the Trump administration should let the company proceed with drilling.
U.S. Justice Department spokesman Wyn Hornbuckle says government attorneys are reviewing the ruling.
More From Newstalk KGVO 1290 AM & 98.3 FM
![UPDATE: Miller Peak Fire Near Missoula Grows to 1,700 Acres](http://townsquare.media/site/119/files/2024/07/attachment-MillerPeakFire-714-EDIT.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Court Victory for Montana Students With Special Needs](http://townsquare.media/site/119/files/2024/07/attachment-RS47253_GettyImages-494312894-scr-2.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Stay Cool Missoula: Tips From Disaster Services Director](http://townsquare.media/site/119/files/2024/07/attachment-RS27921_GettyImages-1011404062-scr.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Knife-Wielding Woman Arrested in Missoula After Altercation](http://townsquare.media/site/119/files/2024/07/attachment-featured-image-2024-07-15T122519.061.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Montana Gas Prices Continue to Rise, More Increases Are Expected](http://townsquare.media/site/119/files/2024/04/attachment-RS48332_GettyImages-178371765-scr.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Saving Money on Energy Bills During Missoula’s Summer Heatwave](http://townsquare.media/site/119/files/2024/07/attachment-RS20739_GettyImages-488874060-scr.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Missoula Asks for Help to Save Drought Stressed Boulevard Trees](http://townsquare.media/site/119/files/2024/07/attachment-Drought-Stredded-Trees-3.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Missoula Crime Report: Record Number of Weekly Felony Cases for 2024](http://townsquare.media/site/119/files/2024/07/attachment-RS24566_GettyImages-506978155-scr.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![High-Speed Chase in Missoula Tops 105 MPH, Driver Flees on Foot](http://townsquare.media/site/119/files/2024/07/attachment-featured-image-25.jpg?w=980&q=75)