ND tribe bans hydraulic fracturing on reservation

The Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa has banned a contentious oil and gas recovery technique and wants to stop a federal auction that would open drilling on the reservation.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs' Dec. 14 lease sale for 45,000 acres in Rolette County is outside North Dakota's existing oil patch. State records show no oil has ever been produced in the county. But some tribal members believe advanced horizontal drilling techniques and hydraulic fracturing could spur development on the reservation and threaten water sources.

The tribal council passed a resolution last week that would forbid hydraulic fracturing on tribal land. The council later amended the resolution asking that the BIA halt its planned lease auction.

The BIA continued to advertise the lease sale on Friday.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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