[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 60 (Tuesday, May 16, 2006)]
[House]
[Page H2603]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 ALLOWING ASSINIBOINE AND SIOUX TRIBES OF FORT PECK INDIAN RESERVATION 
  TO ENTER INTO A LEASE OR OTHER TEMPORARY CONVEYANCE OF WATER RIGHTS

  Mr. RADANOVICH. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass 
the bill (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.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 2978

       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.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Radanovich) and the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Kind) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.


                             General Leave

  Mr. RADANOVICH. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks 
and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from California?
  There was no objection.

                              {time}  1415

  Mr. RADANOVICH. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  H.R. 2978, introduced by our colleague Dennis Rehberg of Montana, 
allows two Fort Peck Indian Reservation Tribes to lease water to nearby 
nonIndian communities.
  In northeastern Montana, water supplies are very scarce. For this 
reason Congress authorized a rural water supply protection for the Fort 
Peck Indian Reservation and some of its neighbors a few years ago. As 
the project is now under construction, water users realize that the 
underlying law needs to be clarified in order to ensure a water 
transfer. This bill makes this commonsense clarification on the Federal 
level. The State Water Commission has already approved the conveyance, 
and I urge my colleagues to support this noncontroversial bill.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. KIND. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  (Mr. KIND asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. KIND. Madam Speaker, simply put, H.R. 2978 brings much-needed 
clean drinking water to over 31,000 residents of northeastern Montana. 
It does so by bringing together the plans of these tribes and the Dry 
Prairie Rural Water Association to convey water from an area of surplus 
to an area of need, with no compensation being asked and with full 
recognition and protection of the tribes' water rights.
  Too often in this body, we are witness to conflicts over resources, 
and this is especially true for the limited precious water supply that 
we have. This bill is a welcomed departure from all of that.
  Madam Speaker, we strongly support the adoption of H.R. 2978.
  Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. RADANOVICH. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Radanovich) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 2978.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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