Blackfeet Water Rights Settlement Act
Latest action · Nov 16, 2016 Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Unanimous Consent.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedJul 6, 2016
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Blackfeet Water Rights Settlement Act
This bill authorizes, ratifies, and confirms the water rights compact between the Blackfeet Tribe and Montana dated April 15, 2009, as modified to be consistent with this bill.
The tribe and the Fort Belknap Indian Community must agree on their Milk River water rights.
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) must: (1) enter into at least one water delivery contract with the Blackfeet Tribe for water from the St. Mary River water right, (2) review the final project design of the Swiftcurrent Creek Bank Stabilization Project and work with the tribe to carry out the project, and (3) carry out specified maintenance projects.
The tribe must grant the United States certain easements and rights-of-way.
The USBR is granted exclusive jurisdiction to authorize the development of St. Mary Unit hydroelectric power. The tribe is granted the exclusive right to develop and market such power.
Interior must allocate water stored in Lake Elwell for the tribe.
Ownership of Birch Creek water delivery facilities is transferred to the tribe.
The tribe must establish a tribal water code, subject to Interior approval.
The water rights of the tribe within the Lewis and Clark National Forest and Glacier National Park are confirmed.
The tribe and the United States must waive certain claims to water rights.
The tribe must: (1) waive claims against the United States regarding specified land and facilities, and (2) withdraw objections to U.S. water rights claims for the benefit of the Milk River Project.
The provisions of this bill expire and related actions and agreements are void if Interior does not publish specified findings or appropriations are not made.Cosponsors
Members who signed on, in the order they did.
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Natural Resources Committee | Referred Jul 6, 2016Markup Nov 16, 2016 |
| Water, Wildlife and Fisheries Subcommittee | Referred Jul 11, 2016Discharged Nov 16, 2016 |
Actions 7
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Nov 16, 2016Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
- Nov 16, 2016Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans Discharged.
- Nov 16, 2016Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Unanimous Consent.
- Nov 15, 2016Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
- Jul 11, 2016Referred to the Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans.
- Jul 6, 2016Introduced in House
- Jul 6, 2016Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Constitutional authority
The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 162, no. 108, July 6, 2016, page H4467.
Related bills 3
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| S 612 | WIIN Act | Related bill | Dec 16, 2016 |
| S 1125 | Blackfeet Water Rights Settlement Act of 2015 | Related bill | Feb 3, 2016 |
| S 2848 | Water Resources Development Act of 2016 | Related bill | Sep 19, 2016 |
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To authorize and implement the water rights compact among the Blackfeet Tribe of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, the State of Montana, and the United States, and for other purposes.
- Short Titles as Introduced
- Blackfeet Water Rights Settlement Act
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Native Americans.
- Alternative and renewable resources
- Dams and canals
- Electric power generation and transmission
- Forests, forestry, trees
- Government liability
- Government studies and investigations
- Government trust funds
- Indian claims
- Indian lands and resources rights
- Lakes and rivers
- Montana
- Native Americans
- Parks, recreation areas, trails
- Water storage
- Water use and supply
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Jul 6, 2016Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
