fort peck assiniboine & sioux tribes

PUBLIC NOTICE:

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Wolf Point Town Hall Meeting - March 15, 2012

Sidney Mayor Brent Smelser, Williston City Commissioner Brent Bogar and Fort Peck Tribal Councilman Stoney Anketell were the panelists at a town hall meeting on the future oil boom in northeastern Montana. (click on link to download)

WPCC Town Hall Meeting (6.17 mb)

 

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Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes of the Fort Peck Reservation - Press Release

For Immediate Release
February 27, 2012

Fort Peck Tribes Announce Historic Resolution to Tribal Trust Case

The Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes of the Fort Peck Reservation today announced the resolution of the Tribes’ trust accounting and mismanagement case against the federal government. Under the terms of the settlement agreement, the Fort Peck Tribes will be paid $75 million to resolve past claims regarding the government’s mishandling of Tribal trust funds and Tribal trust resources. The settlement, which still must be approved by the court, would resolve litigation that has been ongoing for a decade.

Tribal Chairman Floyd Azure noted the historic nature of the agreement. Chairman Azure stated, “The settlement agreement that the Tribal Executive Board approved today is part of the Tribe’s long history of government to government dealings with the federal government. The case we are resolving today addresses a series of wrongs committed by the federal government in the management of the Tribes’ trust assets. We believe that this settlement is an important step forward for the Tribes.”

The Fort Peck Tribes filed this suit in January of 2002 to ensure that the government’s management of the Tribes’ trust funds was fully documented, that any losses suffered at the hands of the government were brought to the light of day, and that the Tribes received the full amount of the trust funds to which they are entitled. For the Fort Peck Tribes, the case was necessary to vindicate an important principle – that the federal government must be held accountable for its actions in handling Tribal trust assets. The litigation sought an accounting of the Tribes’ trust funds, as a method of determining damages suffered by the Tribes based on BIA mismanagement, and compensation for those losses.

The resolution of this case followed negotiations between the Tribal Executive Board and federal negotiators which culminated in a meeting held in Washington, D.C. on February 16, 2012. Chairman Azure expressed the views of the Tribal Executive Board when he advised the federal negotiators that the problems arising from the government’s breach of trust “did not just happen overnight” but have been “ongoing since our ancestors signed the first Fort Laramie Treaty in 1851.” He explained that by these treaties, the United States promised to provide the Tribes with everything they needed to survive and, in agreeing to those treaties, the Tribes gave their trust to the United States. He further explained that, as government exterminated the Great Plains bison, took more and more of the Tribes’ land, and mismanaged what resources were left, that trust was lost. Those who “promised to protect us and our resources are the ones that did us the most harm.”

Sharing his views and those of the Tribal Executive Board, Chairman Azure found that “In meeting with the federal negotiators, it was clear that they listened to and understood the Tribes’ concerns, and that they negotiated with the Tribes in good faith. The resulting agreement is essentially a Treaty between the Tribe and the United States, and we believe it will serve the Tribes’ best interests for years to come. In addition, we are optimistic that the process leading to this agreement may signal the start of a new, more positive relationship between the Tribe and the United States.”

The settlement will resolve past claims regarding the BIA’s investment and other handling of the Tribes’ trust funds including the funds in the Tribal Credit Program, as well as the BIA’s mishandling of other Tribal assets, like agricultural and grazing lands and minerals. The agreement applies only to Tribal claims and does not affect the rights or claims of any individual Tribal members. The agreement also preserves all of the Tribes’ rights to ensure that the Tribes’ trust lands, natural resources and trust funds are protected in the future.

In approving the settlement, the Tribal Executive Board also went on record to commend the former members of the Tribal Executive Board who, on December 21, 2001, voted unanimously to authorize the filing of the Tribes’ lawsuit. The Board found that as a result of wisdom and leadership exercised by the Board in 2001, the Fort Peck Tribes will now receive a substantial fund which can serve as an important resource for addressing the current and future needs of the Fort Peck people. Azure pointed out that the settlement also reflects the commitment of those members of the Tribal Executive Board, both past and present, who supported the prosecution of the lawsuit over the last decade.

He noted, however, that he is particularly proud of the current Tribal administration and their work and steadfast resolve throughout the intense negotiation process which spanned several months. “Every member of the Board took this process seriously; they worked and deliberated with fellow Board members cooperatively and respectively; they wisely engaged attorneys and staff to undertake the work that was necessary to achieve our settlement goals. I am very proud of current elected Tribal leadership, as well as the staff and attorneys who assisted us in this endeavor.”

Finally, the Tribal Executive Board and Chairman Azure praised the Obama Administration’s initiative to resolve this matter. As Chairman Azure stated “I would like to thank President Obama for extending his hand to our Nation and calling together our two Nations to sit at the same table and resolve the issues we have with the federal government’s mismanagement of their trust responsibilities of our Nation’s tribal assets. I believe that this historic agreement will serve both Nations well.”

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Fort Peck Energy Company
317C Street East Poplar, MT 59255
Ph: 406-768- 3093
becker@narpllc.com

Website: http://fortpeckenergy.com

PRESS RELEASE: 11-10-10

Fort Peck Energy Continues Leasing Allottees

Fort Peck Energy is currently leasing Allottee, Tribal and other lands for a drilling project to test the Bakken and Three Forks oil formations on the Reservation. So far we have spent over $1,250,000 on the Project for lease bonuses, rentals and staff salaries; the Allottees have received the majority of the money for their lease bonus payments and rentals. Our first Project area covers over 40,000 acres and is a large enough area to attract experienced Bakken exploration companies to partner with Fort Peck Energy in the drilling of this land. The geologic and technical expertise of our partners will help assure that the drilling of wells is a success, subject to Mother Nature's provision.

Fort Peck Energy, because it is owned 50% by the Tribes, is leasing acreage on the Reservation with the goal of having drilling commitments on Allottee lands for the testing of the Bakken and Three Forks formations. Fort Peck Energy has 8 people working in its Poplar office; 4 are Tribal members. Fort Peck Energy spends most of its time looking for more oil and gas opportunities on the Reservation, technical partners to develop these opportunities and ways to bring jobs and training to the Fort Peck Reservation.

Fort Peck Energy Company ("FPEC") was founded March 2009 and is owned 50% by the Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes and 50% by Native American Resource Partners ("NARP"). NARP and FPEC have spent well over a million dollars reviewing the Tribes' oil and gas resources, regional and local oil and gas pipeline capacity, and related opportunities, as well as maintaining a full time office and staff at its Poplar office at 317 C Street East.