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 between the Fort Belknap Indian Community (Gros Ventre and Assiniboine Tribes) and the State of Montana. It ratifies a water compact that defines tribal water rights, authorizes over $1.4 billion in federal funding for water infrastructure, and provides for land exchanges to consolidate tribal territory.
Who Benefits and How
The Fort Belknap Indian Community receives legally recognized water rights, including 20,000 acre-feet annually from Lake Elwell for any beneficial use. The tribe also receives funding for irrigation system rehabilitation ($415 million), domestic water and sewer systems ($442 million), and a trust fund for ongoing water resource development. The Blackfeet Tribe receives $250 million for wastewater treatment facilities. Montana farmers and irrigators benefit from $300 million to restore the St. Mary Canal and enlarge the Dodson South Canal for improved water delivery.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Federal taxpayers bear the cost of the settlement (over $1.4 billion in authorized appropriations). In exchange for these benefits, the Fort Belknap Indian Community waives all past and future water rights claims against the United States and Montana that are not recognized in this settlement.
Key Provisions
- Ratifies the Fort Belknap-Montana water rights compact and confirms tribal water rights
- Establishes trust funds totaling over $500 million for tribal water development and administration
- Authorizes $300 million for Milk River Project mitigation (St. Mary Canal restoration)
- Allocates 20,000 acre-feet annually from Lake Elwell to the Fort Belknap Indian Community
- Authorizes land exchanges between federal and state governments to benefit tribal lands
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 water rights claims for the Fort Belknap Indian Community in Montana and authorizes funding for water infrastructure projects for Native American tribes
Key Policy Areas
Water Rights, Native American Affairs, Infrastructure, Federal Lands
Primary Purpose
Settles water rights claims for the Fort Belknap Indian Community in Montana and authorizes funding for water infrastructure projects for Native American tribes
Policy Domains
Title I - Fort Belknap Indian Community Water Rights Settlement
Identified Gains
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Fort Belknap Indian Community
- Allottees (individual tribal members with land interests)
- Montana irrigators and farmers
- Bureau of Reclamation
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Identified Costs
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Federal taxpayers
- Fort Belknap Indian Community (waiver of litigation rights)
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Title II - Blackfeet Tribe Wastewater Facilities
Identified Gains
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Blackfeet Tribe
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Identified Costs
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Federal taxpayers
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Sponsors
Steve Daines
R-MT | Primary Sponsor
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMr. Daines (for himself and Mr. Sheehy) introduced the following …
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, Fort Belknap Indian Community members, Other Indian tribes in Montana, United States federal government
Negative-direction: Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, Department of the Interior, Forest Service, Secretary of the Interior
Water and wastewater contractors, Water infrastructure contractors
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of the Interior
- "the_commissioner"
- → Commissioner of Reclamation
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of the Interior
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
The Fort Belknap-Montana water rights compact dated April 16, 2001, as contained in Montana Code Annotated section 85-20-1001, and any amendments to make it consistent with this title
An individual who holds a beneficial real property interest in an allotment of Indian land located within the Reservation and held in trust by the United States
The date described in section 111(f) when waivers and releases take effect
Water rights of the Fort Belknap Indian Community as described in the Compact and title
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