Indian

Maritimes & Northeast Pipeline said it’s confident aresolution to a dispute with the Mi’kmaq Indians in Nova Scotia canbe reached in time to avoid a delay in initial service past Dec. 1.

BP Amoco and the Williams Cos. announced last week they have reached a partial settlement with the Southern Ute Indian Tribe, while leaving the key issues of their dispute to be determined in an upcoming Supreme Court case. The settlement released Williams and BP Amoco from all claims included in the Southern Utes’ lawsuit against them but did not address key ownership issues.

As a precursor to an expected mid-April Supreme Court decisionon the Southern Ute Indian Tribe vs. BP Amoco rights and royaltycase, the Williams Cos., one of the defendants represented by BPAmoco, announced a partial settlement with the Southern Ute tribeThursday. The settlement released the Williams subsidiary involvedin the trial, Williams Production Co., from all claims included inthe lawsuit, but did not address key ownership issues.

A decision by the 10th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals giving theSouthern Ute Indian tribe rights and royalties to natural gasproduced on about 200,000 acres in the San Juan Basin of Coloradopotentially could be used as a precedent impacting 2.4 millionacres of producing properties in six Western states, AmocoProduction Co. said last week.