Company objects to delay as it seeks to drill near Glacier

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) – A Louisiana company seeking to drill for natural gas on land in Montana held sacred by some American Indians is objecting to a 75-day review period sought by a federal panel considering the proposal.

Solenex LLC of Baton Rouge wanted to begin drilling this summer on its 6,200-acre federal energy lease in the Badger-Two Medicine area next to Glacier National Park.

That timetable appears increasingly unlikely. The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation says it needs until Sept. 21 to issue its recommendations on whether drilling would degrade the area’s significance to the Blackfoot tribes of Canada and Montana.

Solenex is represented by the Mountain States Legal Foundation. Mountain States President William Perry Pendley said Wednesday there is no reason for further delay in a project that’s been held up for decades.