Idaho agreed Tuesday to pay $50,000 and pledged to follow anti-discrimination rules to settle a federal lawsuit against state officials who awarded grazing leases to ranchers, not the environmentalist who had offered more money.

The Idaho Board of Land has also committed to revising its rules to allow conservation groups to lease state endowment trust lands, a big change after years of fierce litigation. The board's five members are the governor, state controller, secretary of state, attorney general and superintendent of public instruction.

In 2006, Washington state businessman and environmentalist Gordon Younger was the high bidder on seven Idaho grazing leases, but lost when the Board of Land with then-Gov. Jim Risch gave the leases to livestock owners. Younger, who planned to manage the lands to restore what he called "their degraded streams and wildlife habitats," sued in U.S. District Court on grounds he was the victim of discrimination.

Laird Lucas, attorney for Younger's Lazy Y Ranch Ltd., said Tuesday he's optimistic this settlement and the Board of Land's revised leasing rules represent a departure from the past, when conservation groups were bullied out of winning state grazing leases and left no other option than to sue.

A federal appeals court has reversed a ruling that overturned Boeing Co.'s $1.1 billion contract for maintenance of an Air Force refueling tanker jet.

The decision Tuesday by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit reinstates Chicago-based Boeing's 10-year contract for work on the KC-135 Stratotanker — the Air Force's primary mid-flight refueling aircraft.

Boeing, which built the KC-135, was awarded the maintenance contract in September 2007. The company had already held similar contracts for nearly a decade.

But rival bidder Alabama Aircraft Industries Inc. filed suit, claiming the contract was not properly awarded to Boeing, citing issues such as pricing and past performance. The U.S. Court of Federal Claims ruled for Alabama Aircraft Industries in 2008 and ordered the Air Force to re-solicit bids for the maintenance deal.

Boeing spokesman Dan Beck said the company is pleased with the decision and that Boeing looks forward to beginning work with the Air Force.

An Alabama Aircraft Industries president Ronald Aramini said in a statement that the company was disappointed with the ruling and that it "will be reviewing all legal and strategic options available to us."

The 41-year-old Lange was charged following the July 10 accident in Toms River, about 40 miles southeast of Trenton. He entered his plea Wednesday in municipal court.

Judge James Ligouri revoked his driving privileges for seven months.

Lange, a regular on radio's "Howard Stern Show," said he was under the influence of prescribed sleeping pills, which he had last taken the night before the crash.

But McMaster said in a filing with the Supreme Court on Monday that hewon't oppose the state Supreme Court taking up the challenge filed lastweek by a Chapin High School student.

McMaster says the timing may not be right to shift the issues raised in the case from a public policy debate to the courtroom.