State's ongoing lease auctions reignite fight over Front land

By MATTHEW BROWN
Associated Press

The decades-long fight over Montana's Rocky Mountain Front is heating up again. Wildlife officials and private conservation groups are seeking to stop the leasing of state-owned land in the area for oil and gas development.

It has been 18 months since drilling opponents declared victory on the picturesque, wildlife-rich Front. In December 2006, Congress approved a permanent ban on oil and gas extraction from federal land in the region.  Read more.