Bill > S1911

This bill proposes to settle the water rights claims of the Fort Belknap Indian Community in Montana. The key provisions of the bill include: - Ratifying and authorizing execution of the water rights compact between the Fort Belknap Indian Community, the State of Montana, and the United States. - Confirming the Fort Belknap Indian Community's tribal water rights and establishing how those rights are to be administered and used. - Transferring federal and state land to the Fort Belknap Indian Community to partially satisfy their water rights claims. - Allocating 20,000 acre-feet per year of water from Lake Elwell to the Fort Belknap Indian Community. - Modifying the operations of the Milk River Project to ensure the Fort Belknap Indian Community's water rights are accommodated. - Establishing the Aaniiih Nakoda Settlement Trust Fund to provide funding for various water-related projects and activities on the Fort Belknap Reservation. - Authorizing and appropriating over $400 million for implementation of the water rights settlement. The bill aims to fulfill the federal trust responsibility, promote tribal sovereignty, and achieve a fair and final settlement of the Fort Belknap Indian Community's water rights claims without further costly litigation.