"Tentative Agreement Reached in Dispute Over Endangered Fish"

"BILLINGS, Mont. — Wildlife advocates reached a tentative agreement with the U.S. government in a legal dispute over an endangered fish in the Yellowstone River along the Montana-North Dakota border.

The case centers on a proposed irrigation dam and fish bypass northeast of Glendive. Supporters of the $59 million project say it would allow pallid sturgeon to reach upstream spawning grounds that they've been unable to access for decades.

U.S. District Judge Brian Morris blocked construction of the project in September. That came after the Defenders of Wildlife and the Natural Resources Defense Council sued the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in February, arguing there was no proof the fish bypass would work."

Matthew Brown reports for the Associated Press December 21, 2015.