With their pristine water source threatened by upstream methane drilling, in April 2002 the Northern Cheyenne Tribe of southern Montana asked the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for permission to raise water quality standards for the Tongue River. After promising beginnings with the EPA, the request was stalled and eventually denied in June 2003, leaving tribal leaders to suspect the Bush administration of interfering. The drilling company, fearing higher environmental standards, has hired a law firm notorious for its close ties to the Bush administration. The tribe is currently working on new proposals to the EPA.
