Montana regulators have reached a deal allowing the state to enforce environmental laws at a large coal mine bought last year by a Navajo-owned company.
Company executives and state officials had been at odds for months over demands that the Navajo Transitional Energy Company waive its immunity as a tribal entity from future lawsuits.
Thursday's agreement came a day before a temporary waiver for the Spring Creek mine was set to expire.
The 275-worker strip mine is one the of the largest in the U.S. Litigation is a key tool to enforce many environmental laws but tribal entities can't normally be sued in state court.
