Fidelity Exploration & Production Company in July 2003 initiated the Tongue River Agronomic Monitoring and Protection Program. Fidelity E&P funded the three-year program developed and conducted by two soil scientists and an agronomist that involved soil and crop sampling in the Tongue River watershed of southeastern Montana. The purpose of the program was to better understand the potential effects of coalbed natural gas production on the soil and crops in the Tongue River drainage area. Data collected through the program create a baseline of information to determine what impacts, if any, occur from the discharge of water produced in association with coalbed natural gas development. The initial three-year program has been completed and the Montana Board of Oil & Gas Conservation has assumed funding of the program.

The Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission (IOGCC) in October 2004 honored Fidelity E&P with a major environmental award for the company's involvement in the Tongue River AMPP. The IOGCC, representing the governors of 30 member states and seven associate states, promotes the conservation and efficient recovery of domestic oil and natural gas resources while protecting health, safety and the environment. The award recognized Fidelity E&P's sponsorship of the program. This program also won MDU Resources' Environmental Integrity Award in 2004.