Crow Tribe Water Rights Settlement Amendments Act of 2025
Sponsored By: Senator Steve Daines
Passed Senate
Summary
Restructures Crow Tribe water settlement funding and program structure. This law renames the MR&I System to MR&I Projects, creates separate Crow CIP Implementation and MR&I Projects accounts, updates how funds are managed and indexed, and changes several funding and technical provisions.
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- Tribes and local communities: Funds are prioritized for planning, permitting, design, construction, replacement, rehabilitation, operation, or repair of domestic, municipal, and wastewater water infrastructure. Title to any infrastructure built with MR&I funds remains with the Tribe and the Federal Government is not required to pay for operation or maintenance.
- Funding and administration: The Crow Settlement Fund is reworked to be managed, invested, and distributed by the Secretary and to remain available until expended. The law creates a non-trust, interest-bearing Crow CIP Implementation Account and an MR&I Projects Account and authorizes joint signature accounts to move money into them.
- Project rules and timing: The law adds an indexing adjustment for MR&I cost fluctuations based on the Bureau of Reclamation Construction Cost Index and extends the Yellowtail Dam repayment period from 15 years to 20 years. Remaining MR&I funds, after on-reservation projects are finished, may be used to buy on-reservation land with water rights.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
2 provisions identified: 0 benefits, 0 costs, 2 mixed.
New tribal water funding accounts
If enacted, this would create new accounts and change how Crow settlement money is managed. The Secretary would set up an MR&I Projects Account and a Crow CIP Implementation Account soon after enactment. These accounts would hold certain appropriations and required deposits and would earn interest. MR&I funds could be used to plan, design, build, repair, operate, or comply with environmental laws for tribal water and wastewater infrastructure. After the Tribe tells the Secretary on-Reservation MR&I projects are complete, leftover MR&I money could be used to buy on-Reservation land with water rights. Title and operation of projects built with these funds would remain with the Tribe. The federal government would have no obligation to pay for operation, maintenance, or replacement of those projects. The Secretary would also be required to move existing joint account balances into the new accounts and the Crow Settlement Fund would be managed by the Secretary and remain available until expended.
Longer Yellowtail Dam allocation period
If enacted, this would change a 15-year allocation period tied to Yellowtail Dam to a 20-year period. The change gives the named parties more time for allocations. Any budget effects are likely small and occur later.
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Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Steve Daines
MT • R
Cosponsors
Sen. Sheehy, Tim [R-MT]
MT • R
Sponsored 1/24/2025
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
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