[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2978 Introduced in House (IH)]






109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2978

   To allow the Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes of the Fort Peck Indian 
  Reservation to enter into a lease or other temporary conveyance of 
  water rights recognized under the Fort Peck-Montana Compact for the 
   purpose of meeting the water needs of the Dry Prairie Rural Water 
           Association, Incorporated, and for other purposes.


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                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 17, 2005

 Mr. Rehberg introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                         Committee on Resources

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                                 A BILL


 
   To allow the Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes of the Fort Peck Indian 
  Reservation to enter into a lease or other temporary conveyance of 
  water rights recognized under the Fort Peck-Montana Compact for the 
   purpose of meeting the water needs of the Dry Prairie Rural Water 
           Association, Incorporated, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. MONTANA INDIAN TRIBES; AGREEMENT WITH DRY PRAIRIE RURAL 
              WATER ASSOCIATION, INCORPORATED.

    (a) In General.--The Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes of the Fort Peck 
Indian Reservation (referred to in this section as the ``Tribes'') may, 
with the approval of the Secretary of the Interior, enter into a lease 
or other temporary conveyance of water rights recognized under the Fort 
Peck-Montana Compact (Montana Code Annotated 85-20-201) for the purpose 
of meeting the water needs of the Dry Prairie Rural Water Association, 
Incorporated (or any successor entity), in accordance with section 5 of 
the Fort Peck Reservation Rural Water System Act of 2000 (Public Law 
106-382; 114 Stat. 1454).
    (b) Conditions of Lease.--With respect to a lease or other 
temporary conveyance described in subsection (a)--
            (1) the term of the lease or conveyance shall not exceed 
        100 years;
            (2) the lease or conveyance may be approved by the 
        Secretary of the Interior without monetary compensation to the 
        Tribes; and
            (3) the Secretary of the Interior shall not be subject to 
        liability for any claim or cause of action relating to the 
        compensation or consideration received by the Tribes under the 
        lease or conveyance.
    (c) No Permanent Alienation of Water.--Nothing in this section 
authorizes any permanent alienation of any water by the Tribes.
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