To provide for the settlement of the water rights claims of the Fort Belknap Indian Community, and for other purposes.
Analysis under review: This bill has generated analysis that may be too generic or incomplete. Clause-level evidence remains available below.
Summary
What This Bill Does
This bill settles long-standing water rights claims of the Fort Belknap Indian Community (Gros Ventre and Assiniboine Tribes) in Montana. It ratifies a water compact between the tribe and the State of Montana, allocates 20,000 acre-feet of water annually from Lake Elwell, and authorizes over $900 million for water infrastructure improvements including irrigation systems, canals, and domestic water/sewer systems.
Who Benefits and How
The Fort Belknap Indian Community receives legally recognized water rights, 20,000 acre-feet annual water allocation from Lake Elwell, and substantial federal funding for water infrastructure. Tribal allottees (individual landholders) are protected with benefits equivalent to or exceeding their current rights. The Blackfeet Tribe benefits from St. Mary Canal restoration. Montana and federal agencies avoid costly water rights litigation.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Federal taxpayers fund over $900 million in appropriations for trust funds and infrastructure. The Fort Belknap Indian Community must waive and release all other water rights claims within Montana as consideration for the settlement. State of Montana must participate in land exchanges and coordinate with federal agencies.
Key Provisions
- Ratifies Fort Belknap-Montana water rights compact and validates tribal water rights
- Allocates 20,000 acre-feet/year from Lake Elwell to tribe
- Authorizes $300 million for Milk River Project mitigation (St. Mary Canal restoration, Dodson South Canal enlargement)
- Establishes Aaniiih Nakoda Settlement Trust Fund with ~$420 million for irrigation and water development
- Cancels all existing debts/liens against tribal allotments for irrigation assessments
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Settles the water rights claims of the Fort Belknap Indian Community (Gros Ventre and Assiniboine Tribes) in Montana by ratifying a water rights compact, authorizing infrastructure improvements, and establishing trust funds totaling over $900 million.
Key Policy Areas
Tribal Affairs, Water Resources, Infrastructure, Public Lands
Primary Purpose
Settles the water rights claims of the Fort Belknap Indian Community (Gros Ventre and Assiniboine Tribes) in Montana by ratifying a water rights compact, authorizing infrastructure improvements, and establishing trust funds totaling over $900 million.
Policy Domains
Fort Belknap Indian Community Water Rights Settlement Act
Identified Gains
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Fort Belknap Indian Community
- Tribal allottees
- Blackfeet Tribe
- State of Montana
- Bureau of Reclamation
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Identified Costs
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Federal taxpayers
- Fort Belknap Indian Community (claim waivers)
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Sponsors
Jon Tester
D-MT | Primary Sponsor
Legislative Progress
Passed SenateMr. Tester (for himself and Mr. Daines) introduced the following …
Passed Senate (inferred from es version)
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Blackfeet Tribe, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Land Management
Fort Belknap Indian Community faces effects in multiple directions
Positive-direction: Blackfeet Tribe, Tribal allottees, Tribal allottees (individual landholders), United States Government
Negative-direction: Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, Department of the Interior
Agricultural producers on reservation, Other water rights holders in Montana
Construction contractors in Montana, Engineering and construction firms
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of the Interior
- "the_commissioner"
- → Commissioner of Reclamation
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
Water rights of the Fort Belknap Indian Community described in the Compact, held in trust by the United States
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology