Officials with the Department of the Interior will be in Window Rock, Arizona on Friday to sign a $554 million settlement. The agreement will end a decades-old lawsuit the Navajo Nation filed against the United States for resource mismanagement.
Once it’s signed, the agreement will be the biggest settlement the federal government has made with an individual tribe.
In return, the Navajo Nation has promised to forego further litigation on the matter. They’ll also participate in an information sharing system designed to improve communication on resource management.
The agreement is one of many the administration is working to resolve with tribes over the mismanagement of trust funds and natural resources. In the last two years the U.S. has announced settlements with about 40 tribes totaling more than $1billion.