Sponsors (2)
The bill secures dedicated funding, longer timelines, and flexibility to help the Crow Tribe build and protect water infrastructure and water rights, but it shifts long-term O&M costs to the Tribe and introduces administrative and funding-uncertainty risks that could delay projects or increase tribal financial burdens.
Crow Tribe members and their government gain a dedicated MR&I Projects Account that funds planning, design, construction, and repair of water and wastewater infrastructure, increasing the Tribe's ability to complete critical water projects.
The Crow Settlement Fund will be actively managed and invested by the Secretary, making settlement-derived funds available until expended or reverted, which should improve stewardship and speed access to cash for projects.
The Tribe may use leftover MR&I funds after project completion to acquire on-Reservation land with water rights, helping secure long-term water resources and legal control of water supplies for the Tribe.
Crow Tribe members and their government are left responsible for operation, maintenance, and replacement costs because the federal government disclaims any obligation to pay O&M for MR&I Projects, creating a potentially significant long-term financial burden.
Redirecting and managing multiple new and restructured accounts (CIP Account, MR&I Account, Crow CIP Implementation Account, Crow Settlement Fund management) increases administrative complexity and could delay funds availability and project starts.
Indexing MR&I deposit amounts to construction cost trends could raise required funding levels, increasing federal or tribal upfront cash needs or reducing purchasing power if appropriations don't keep pace.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Redefines MR&I projects, repeals the MR&I System, creates an MR&I Projects Account, and gives the Secretary authority to manage and disburse the Crow Settlement Fund.
Introduced January 24, 2025 by Troy Downing · Last progress January 24, 2025
Amends the existing Crow Tribe water settlement to change how tribal water projects are defined, funded, and administered. It repeals the prior MR&I System, creates a new MR&I Projects Account, and gives the Secretary of the Interior authority to manage, invest, and distribute the Crow Settlement Fund until amounts are expended, withdrawn, or reverted to the Treasury. The changes update definitions and cross-references, revise how money is deposited and appropriated for municipal, rural, and industrial (MR&I) projects, and adjust statutory citations related to trust fund management. The amendments primarily affect the Crow Tribe, the Department of the Interior’s administration of the fund, and implementation/timing of tribal water infrastructure and environmental obligations.