[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 9]
[Senate]
[Page 12858]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 BLACKFEET WATER RIGHTS SETTLEMENT ACT

  Mr. DAINES. Mr. President, today is a good day for Montana and the 
Blackfeet people.
  With the passage of the Water Resources Development Act, the 
Blackfeet Water Rights Settlement Act is one step closer to the 
President's desk. Today's action marks the first time the compact has 
passed the Senate after being introduced four times since 2010.
  Today, for the first time, this important legislation came to the 
Senate for a vote and it passed. I, along with my colleague Senator Jon 
Tester, worked hard to make sure it made it through this time. The 
settlement is long overdue and will not only establish the tribe's 
water rights but will also facilitate real, tangible benefits for the 
Blackfeet and surrounding communities.
  The bill will improve several Federal water structures that are some 
of the oldest and most in need of repair in the country and will help 
irrigate some of the most productive farmland in our State. The 
Blackfeet Water Rights Settlement Act also balances the need of the 
State and the local community. The Blackfeet Indian Reservation is 
located adjacent to Glacier National Park and is some 1.5 million acres 
in size. There are 17,000 enrolled tribal members, about half of whom 
live on the reservation.
  This water settlement also upholds agreements by the State that will 
strengthen irrigation for neighboring farmlands. We call that Montana's 
Golden Triangle. It is where my great-great-grandmother homesteaded 
because of its wheat production.
  I commend the Blackfeet Tribe and Chairman Harry Barnes, who have 
been diligent and patient in seeing this settlement forward. I commend 
our State for its commitment to the Blackfeet Tribe and Indian Country 
in Montana and my colleague Senator Tester for working with me on this 
bill. I am proud to get this through the Senate and will continue to 
fight for its enactment.

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