Sponsors (2)
The bill secures large, enforceable water rights and directs major federal funding to build and manage tribal water and wastewater infrastructure—providing long‑term water security and economic benefits for tribal communities—while imposing substantial federal costs, broad waivers and limits on legal remedies, and several restrictions and liability/oversight tradeoffs that shift risks and limit some future uses.
Fort Belknap Indian Community (and associated allottees) will receive legally ratified Tribal water rights and a quantified water allocation (including a 20,000 acre‑feet/year allocation from Lake Elwell), securing legal water access and priority for municipal, agricultural, and other uses.
Residents on Fort Belknap will get dedicated funding (hundreds of millions) to build and operate domestic water and sewer systems, improving drinking water quality and sanitation for the community.
Blackfeet tribal residents will receive a $250 million appropriation for new or upgraded community drinking water and wastewater systems, increasing safe water access and long‑term system operation and maintenance funding.
Federal taxpayers and the federal budget will bear substantial costs (hundreds of millions across titles, including capped project costs and appropriations), increasing federal spending and potentially crowding out other priorities.
Nontribal water users and some claimants face broad waivers and settlement provisions that limit or extinguish historic claims and future litigation over certain pre‑enforcement date uses and damages, reducing future legal remedies.
The United States disclaims certain liabilities (e.g., for monitoring use of lease proceeds) and limits judicial review of some Secretary approvals to APA remedies, reducing federal accountability and judicial remedies for disputes over approvals or fund management.
Based on analysis of 8 sections of legislative text.
Settles Fort Belknap water rights via land-to-trust conveyances, a three-account settlement trust for irrigation/admin/domestic water projects, and authorizes $250M for Blackfeet Tribe water infrastructure.
Introduced January 24, 2025 by Steve Daines · Last progress January 24, 2025
Settles Fort Belknap Indian Community water rights by ratifying and directing federal implementation of the Fort Belknap–Montana water compact, transferring specific federal parcels into trust for the Tribe, and creating a multi-account settlement trust to pay for irrigation, water administration, and domestic water/sewer projects. It also allows existing rights and contracts to remain in effect unless ended by agreement, requires the Bureau of Indian Affairs to manage transferred lands and receipts, and authorizes $250 million for planning, construction, operation, and maintenance of water and wastewater facilities for the Blackfeet Tribe. The bill establishes how settlement funds are held, invested, and distributed (including when funds become available), sets rules for land conveyances and access, and provides procedures for handling improvements, royalties, and offsets of federal funds against future claims. It centrally structures implementation responsibilities for the Department of the Interior and BIA and creates a named trust fund with three distinct accounts for settlement uses.