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BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) Attorneys for Montana have filed a lawsuit against BNSF Railway Company for failing to live up to a 1984 agreement that the state says requires the company to pay some grain shipping costs in central Montana.

BNSF had agreed to pay a state-designated rail operator for each carload of grain shipped between Geraldine and Lewistown.

The agreement was made as part of a bankruptcy settlement. It was meant to keep the line in operation and ensure BNSF did not have a monopoly in the region.

But Montana Attorney General Steve Bullock says BNSF has stopped making payments under the 1984 agreement. In a Nov. 10 lawsuit filed in Fergus County, he asks for BNSF to resume the payments and pay for damages.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) APNP 11-17-09 0630CST | save this article / add to your favorites list