Legal settlement restores BIA money to Chugach resource projects

A lawsuit filed by the Chugach Regional Resources Commission against the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) over program funding was recently settled. The Commission operated a fish hatchery, oyster farm and other natural resource programs in communities still suffering from the Exxon Valdez oil spill. The settlement restores full funding to the program. The BIA created a mariculture operation for the region after the spill disaster to fulfill trust obligations for assisting Native communities. But attorney Lloyd Miller says a year ago things changed.Lori Townsend, APRN - Anchorage