Solenex urges judge to act on Badger-Two Medicine oil leases

The Louisiana-based company that holds oil and gas leases in the Badger-Two Medicine area south of Glacier National Park has asked a federal judge to resolve its lawsuit challenging the federal government’s suspension of the leases so the company can begin drilling this summer.

 Solenex LLC of Baton Rouge holds a 6,200-acre lease on land considered sacred by the Blackfeet tribes of the U.S. and Canada. The leases were suspended by the U.S. Interior Department in the 1990s, along with dozens of other leases in the area.

Over the years, most of the leases were retired or surrendered. Only 18 remain, covering more than 40,000 acres.

In a recent court filing, Solenex requested that U.S. District Judge Richard Leon expedite the company’s lawsuit.

According to the company’s attorney, Steven Lechner with the Mountain States Legal Foundation, if drilling doesn’t commence by August, Solenex must wait another year to begin the work because of restrictions on when it can drill.

“Time is of the essence,” Lechner said, adding that the company has only a five-month window each year in which it can drill under the terms of the permit approved more than 22 years ago.

Blackfeet leaders want Interior Secretary Sally Jewell to cancel the lease and 17 others that have been suspended. The Blackfeet say the Badger-Two Medicine area is the home of their creation story. The land is part of the Lewis and Clark National Forest, not on the Blackfeet Reservation.

Blackfeet tribal historic preservation officer John Murray said the prior cancellation of other leases in the area set a precedent for Interior officials to withdraw the remaining leases, because of insufficient environmental studies. Murray said he does not expect a decision by Jewell while the lawsuit is pending in federal court.