Crow Tribe Water Rights Settlement Amendments Act of 2025

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 240, the Crow Tribe Water Rights Settlement Amendments Act of 2025.

S. 240 would amend the Crow Tribe's existing settlement to support successful settlement implementation and extend the Tribe's authority to market hydropower to the Yellowtail Afterbay Dam in Montana.

The Tribe has devoted significant time and effort to achieving and implementing this settlement, and I thank the sponsor of the bill for dedicating that time, as well. This legislation would provide additional support to ensure it is successfully carried out.

This body has a responsibility to uphold our Federal trust and treaty obligations to Tribal nations, and that responsibility is especially critical when it comes to access to clean and reliable water.

Every person deserves access to safe water. Yet, Tribal nations, which often hold some of the most senior water rights, have far too often been unable to access or develop their own water resources due to Federal actions and policies, leaving those water rights largely underdeveloped and unprotected.

Tribal leaders have spent decades working to resolve these issues and negotiate settlements to ensure their communities have cleaner, reliable water. Negotiated settlements provide certainty for Tribes, States, the Federal Government, and other water users. They provide Tribal nations with the resources needed to deliver clean water to their communities while reducing legal, financial, and water supply uncertainty to all parties to a settlement.

Mr. Speaker, while I am grateful to see this bill move forward today, I urge our Republican leadership to take action on the numerous other pending Indian water rights settlement bills, many of which have already passed the Senate by unanimous consent.

Failing to advance settlement delays Tribal communities' access to clean water, prolongs uncertainty for all water users, and increases settlement costs over time.

Mr. Speaker, this is not a partisan issue. We have many Republican colleagues who want to get these bills across the finish line with us. We stand ready to work with the Republican leadership to resolve any procedural concerns.

I hope that S. 240 is just the beginning and that we will see more Indian water rights settlement bills before us on the floor soon, and I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this critical piece of legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 240) to amend the Crow Tribe Water Rights Settlement Act of 2010 to make improvements to that Act, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to add extraneous material on S. 240, the bill now under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 240, the Crow Tribe Water Rights Settlement Amendments Act of 2025, sponsored by Senator Daines from Montana and championed in the House by Representative Downing of Montana.

This bill ensures the Crow Tribe has the tools and flexibility it needs to implement its longstanding water rights settlement. The underlying 2010 settlement ratified the water rights compact between the Crow Tribe and the State of Montana and authorized major investments in water infrastructure on the Crow Reservation.

This legislation does not change funding levels or the existing water rights settlement. Instead, it updates the settlement to better reflect the Tribe's needs today.

The original settlement required the Bureau of Reclamation to build a Federal water project to serve the Crow Reservation. This bill converts this project-based settlement to a fund-based settlement, authorizing the Crow Tribe to manage project construction within existing Federal funding levels.

The bill ensures there is no ongoing Federal operation and maintenance requirement upon completion. The bill also extends the Tribe's exclusive right to develop hydropower at the Yellowtail Afterbay Dam through 2030.

Taken together, these provisions give the Crow Tribe greater flexibility to invest in water infrastructure, improve irrigation, and pursue economic development opportunities, while maintaining the commitments made in the original settlement.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Montana (Mr. Downing), the lead sponsor of the House companion to this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Senator Daines and Representative Downing for their leadership on this important issue, and I thank the minority for working with us on it. I urge the passage of S. 240, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Westerman for yielding me time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the Crow Tribe Water Rights Settlement Amendments Act, as this legislation will make crucial adjustments to the Crow Tribe of Montana's water settlement, ensuring the Tribe can provide clean drinking water for its members for generations to come.

In Montana, water rights and infrastructure are the lifeblood of our Tribal communities. Indian water rights settlements protect those rights by codifying them in Federal law and providing resources to promote water infrastructure development.

For the Crow Tribe in my home district, the Crow Tribe Water Rights Settlement Act of 2010 was a significant milestone. It settled the Tribe's water rights and authorized $460 million to design and construct a centralized municipal, rural, and industrial, or MR&I, water system for its reservation.

However, due to the project's complexity, rising costs, and extended estimated construction timelines, the initial MR&I pipeline system authorized by the settlement has proven unfeasible.

Without the ability to use settlement funds for water infrastructure, the Crow Reservation continues to face a clean water crisis. According to one BIA-funded water study, over 50 percent of Crow Reservation households have contaminated water. That is 50 percent. Moreover, multiple further studies have linked the Tribe's higher cancer rates with this lack of clean water access.

Senator Daines and I introduced the Crow Tribe Water Rights Settlement Amendments Act to directly address these challenges. The bill expands the scope of authorized water projects under the Crow Tribe's water settlement beyond the initial single mandated pipeline project to include a flexible array of smaller-scale regional water projects. In doing so, this legislation will dramatically reduce the timeline for delivering clean water to the reservation's communities.

S. 240 is a straightforward solution that does not alter any existing water rights and appropriates no new Federal spending. It simply provides necessary flexibility for the Tribe to meet the needs of its citizens.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Senator Daines for leading this effort with me. I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this important legislation for the Crow Tribe.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of the following bills en bloc: Calendar No. 177, H.R. 165; Calendar No. 138, S. 390; Calendar No. 174, S. 620; Calendar No. 186, S. 621; Calendar No. 187, S. 622; Calendar No. 175, S. 642; Calendar No. 76, S. 719; Calendar No. 148, S. 723; Calendar No. 261, S. 546; Calendar No. 260, S. 240; Calendar No. 262, S. 640; and Calendar No. 291, H.R. 504.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the committee- reported amendments, where applicable, be considered and agreed to; that the Murkowski-Schatz amendment at the desk to Calendar No. 262, S. 640, be agreed to; that the bills, as amended, if amended, be considered read a third time and passed; and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, all en bloc.