DURANT, Okla. (AP) — The head of the U.S. Department of the Interior says a $186 million settlement has been reached with the Chickasaw and Choctaw nations over the government's handling of some tribal resources and properties.
Secretary Sally Jewell announced the settlement Tuesday at a ceremony at the Choctaw Nation headquarters in Durant. The settlement ends a nine-year lawsuit alleging the federal government mismanaged 1.3 million acres of timberlands in southeastern and south-central Oklahoma, with some claims more than 100 years old.
Under the settlement, the government will pay the Chickasaw Nation $46.5 million and the Choctaw Nation $139.5 million. In return, the tribes will dismiss their lawsuit and set aside future litigation.
Jewell says the agreement represents the beginning of a new chapter in the government's relationships with the Oklahoma-based tribes.