,,iii  #aafth ,,congress  #ast ,session 
,s4 ,,res4 #bej  ,,in ,,the ,,senate    
,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states  ,june #ac1
 #bjai,mr4 ,tester submitted the        
following resolution2 which was referred
 to the ,committee on ,energy and       
,natural ,resources  ,,resolution       
,expressing the sense of the ,senate    
that the ,department of the ,interior   
has broken a commitment to the          
,blackfeet ,tribe to defend the         
cancellation of all leases in the       
,badger-,two ,medicine area and urging  
the ,department of the ,interior to work
 closely with the ,blackfeet ,tribe to  
defend the ,badger-,two ,medicine area  
from oil and gas development4  ,whereas 
the ,badger-,two ,medicine area is      
sacred to the ,blackfeet ,tribe and     
holds critical and unique importance in 
the culture and history of the          
,blackfeet ,tribe2 ,whereas the         
,department of the ,interior issued     
leases for the development of oil and   
gas resources in the ,badger-,two       

,medicine area without proper ,tribal   
consultation2 ,whereas the ,department  
of the ,interior has sought to cancel   
all remaining leases in the ,badger-,two
 ,medicine area1 citing violations of   
the ,national ,environmental ,policy    
,act of #aifi 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #dcba et   
seq47 and division ,a of subtitle ,,iii 
of title #ed1 ,united ,states ,code     
7formerly known as the ,national        
,historic ,preservation ,act 7#af       
,u4,s4,c4 #dgj et seq4771 before the    
leases were issued2 ,whereas the #b     
remaining leaseholders in the           
,badger-,two ,medicine area1 ,solenex   
,,llc and ,w4,a4 ,moncrief1 challenged  
the cancellation of their leases in a   
district court of the ,united ,states2  
,whereas former ,secretary of the       
,interior ,ryan ,zinke committed to the 
,blackfeet ,tribe that the ,department  
of the ,interior would continue to      
defend the lease cancellations in court 
after the district court ruled against  
the ,department2 ,whereas the           

,department of the ,interior appealed   
the decision in the ,solenex ,,llc case1
 but did not appeal the decision in the 
,w4,a4 ,moncrief case1 instead moving to
 dismiss the ,w4,a4 ,moncrief case and  
reissuing the ,w4,a4 ,moncrief lease2   
,whereas the ,department of the         
,interior argued that the court of      
appeals does not have jurisdiction to   
consider an appeal taken by the         
intervenors in the ,w4,a4 ,moncrief     
case1 an argument that would deny the   
,tribal leaders who intervened in that  
case the ability to defend the          
,badger-,two ,medicine area on appeal2  
,whereas the ,federal ,government has   
the duty to honor the trust             
responsibilities of the ,federal        
,government to the ,blackfeet ,tribe and
 the promises made by the ,secretary of 
the ,interior to the leadership of the  
,blackfeet ,tribe1 and the development  
of the ,badger-,two ,medicine area would
 be a complete abandonment of that duty2
 and ,whereas the ,forest ,service and  

the ,department of the ,interior have   
publicly and repeatedly acknowledged the
 importance of protecting the landscape 
of the ,badger-,two ,medicine area from 
further development through--  7#a7     
moratoriums on new leases2  7#b7        
suspensions on drilling activity2  7#c7 
management plans focused on preserving  
the landscape2  7#d7 the voluntary      
retirement of leases2 and  7#e7 the     
cancellation of active leases3 ,now1    
therefore1 be it  ,that--  7#a7 it is   
the sense of the ,senate that the       
,department of the ,interior-- 7,a7 has 
broken the commitment made by the       
,department to the ,blackfeet ,tribe2   
7,b7 has failed-- 7i7 to honor the trust
 responsibilities of the ,department to 
the ,blackfeet ,tribe2 and  7ii7 to     
regain the credibility of the           
,department2 and  7,c7 must actively    
pursue and defend1 in and out of the    
courtroom1 the cancellation of all      
leases in the ,badger-,two ,medicine    
area2 and  7#b7 the ,senate urges the   

,department of the ,interior-- 7,a7 to  
work closely with the ,blackfeet ,tribe 
to protect the ,badger-,two ,medicine   
area from oil and gas leases2 and  7,b7 
to remedy the mistakes of the           
,department that led to the leases being
 issued without-- 7i7 proper            
consultation with the ,blackfeet ,tribe2
 and  7ii7 compliance with environmental
 and historic preservation laws4