3.0.0 434 2019-06-21T11:05:57Z 2019-06-21T11:05:57Z Senate S S 2013-03-04 113 slia00 Indian Affairs Committee Senate Other Hearings by 2013-05-08T21:26:23Z Referred to 2013-03-04T20:04:35Z 2013-05-08 slia00 Indian Affairs Committee Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 113-113. Committee 2013-03-04 slia00 Indian Affairs Committee Senate Read twice and referred to the Committee on Indian Affairs. IntroReferral 2013-03-04 Introduced in Senate IntroReferral 10000 9 Library of Congress B000243 Sen. Baucus, Max [D-MT] MAX BAUCUS D MT SIEBEN N T000464 Sen. Tester, Jon [D-MT] Jon Tester D MT 2013-03-04 True W000818 Sen. Walsh, John E. [D-MT] John Walsh D MT E. 2014-09-08 False Native Americans Alternative and renewable resources Dams and canals Electric power generation and transmission Federal-Indian relations Fishes Floods and storm protection Forests, forestry, trees Government buildings, facilities, and property Government trust funds Indian claims Indian lands and resources rights Lakes and rivers Land transfers Montana Outdoor recreation Pipelines Water resources funding Water storage Water use and supply Wildlife conservation and habitat protection Native Americans 00 2013-03-04 Introduced in Senate 2015-04-10T12:33:59Z Blackfeet Water Rights Settlement Act of 2013 - Requires the Blackfeet Tribe (Tribe) of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation of Montana to work with the Fort Belknap Indian Community on resolving any conflict concerning Milk River water rights. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to resolve such conflict if the Tribe and Community are unable to do so within a specified period.

Requires the Secretary to enter into contracts with the Tribe for the delivery of: (1) 5,000 acre-feet per year of the St. Mary River water right through Milk River Project facilities to the Tribe or an entity specified by the Tribe, and (2) any additional available St. Mary water.

Lists Milk River Project purposes as irrigation, flood control, fish and wildlife protection, recreation, hydroelectric power generation, and municipal, rural, and industrial water supply.

Directs the Secretary to conduct a study to:

  • evaluate alternatives for the rehabilitation of the St. Mary Storage Unit of the Milk River Project,
  • identify alternatives to provide additional St. Mary River and Milk River water to the Tribe,
  • evaluate the feasibility of increased storage in Fresno Reservoir,
  • allocate costs based on specified Milk River Project purposes, and
  • plan the management and development of water supplies in the St. Mary River and Milk River basins.

Requires the Secretary to implement the Swift Current Creek Bank Stabilization Project and offer to enter into an agreement with the Tribe to establish a process for resolving issues regarding federal Milk River Project property interests that are located on tribal lands.

Gives the Tribe the exclusive right to develop and market hydroelectric power from the St. Mary Storage Unit of the Milk River Project.

Directs the Secretary to allocate to the Tribe 56,000 acre-feet per year of water stored in Lake Elwell for use by the Tribe for any beneficial purpose on or off the Reservation. Authorizes the Tribe to enter into leases or other agreements for the use of that water, provided its use occurs within the Missouri River Basin and the agreement does not permanently alienate the allocation.

Requires the Secretary, acting through the Commissioner of Reclamation, to:

  • carry out deferred maintenance and Four Horns Dam safety improvements relating to the Blackfeet Irrigation Project;
  • carry out the Birch Creek Mitigation Project to provide water from Four Horns Reservoir to state water rights users on Birch Creek;
  • plan, design, and construct the MR&I System (involving water intake, treatment, pumping, storage, and pipeline facilities); and
  • construct the Blackfeet Water, Storage, and Development Projects.

Establishes the Birch Creek Mitigation Fund to mitigate the impacts of development of the Birch Creek tribal water right on the Birch Creek water supplies of the Pondera County Canal and Reservoir Company Project.

Directs the Secretary, at the Tribe's request, to convey title to the Blackfeet Irrigation Project, Birch Creek Mitigation Project, the MR&I System, and Blackfeet Water, Storage, and Development Projects to the Tribe.

Authorizes, ratifies, and confirms the Blackfeet-Montana water rights compact (Compact) to the extent it does not conflict with this Act.

Requires the tribal water rights to be held in trust by the United States for the Tribe and its allottees.

Requires the Tribe to amend its tribal water code in accordance with the Compact and this Act. Requires the Secretary's approval of the tribal water code for it to be valid.

Establishes the Blackfeet Settlement Trust Fund. Makes appropriations to specified accounts that the Secretary is to establish within the Fund. Authorizes the Tribe to withdraw amounts from the Fund upon the Secretary's approval of a tribal management plan and an expenditure plan that requires the Tribe to spend the withdrawn amounts in accordance with this Act.

Gives the Tribe specified water rights in the Lewis and Clark National Forest.

Provides for the waiver and release by the Tribe of water rights claims against Montana and the United States in return for recognition of the tribal water rights and other benefits provided under the Compact and this Act.

Absolves the United States from liability for any failure to carry out any obligation or activity authorized by this Act if adequate appropriations are not provided expressly by Congress to carry out the purposes of this Act in the Reclamation Water Settlements Fund or the Emergency Fund for Indian Safety and Health.

]]> Blackfeet Water Rights Settlement Act of 2013 Short Titles as Introduced Blackfeet Water Rights Settlement Act of 2013 Display Title Blackfeet Water Rights Settlement Act of 2013 Official Title as Introduced A bill to authorize and implement the water rights compact among the Blackfeet Tribe of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation and the State of Montana, and for other purposes. Introduced in Senate 2013-03-04T05:00:00Z https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-113s434is/xml/BILLS-113s434is.xml 2013-05-08 Committee on Indian Affairs. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 113-113. text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain. Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress This file contains bill summaries and statuses for federal legislation. A bill summary describes the most significant provisions of a piece of legislation and details the effects the legislative text may have on current law and federal programs. Bill summaries are authored by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) of the Library of Congress. As stated in Public Law 91-510 (2 USC 166 (d)(6)), one of the duties of CRS is "to prepare summaries and digests of bills and resolutions of a public general nature introduced in the Senate or House of Representatives". For more information, refer to the User Guide that accompanies this file.