S.Amdt. 3741

This amendment, submitted by Mr. Daines, adds the Northern Montana Water Security Act of 2025 to the bill. Its main goal is to create a final and fair settlement for water rights claims in Montana involving the Fort Belknap Indian Community and the United States as trustee.

The amendment aims to change or add the following:

• Water Rights and Usage: It confirms a water rights compact between the State of Montana and the Fort Belknap Indian Community, providing 20,000 acre-feet of water annually from Lake Elwell. It also allows the community, its members, or allottees to acquire water rights outside the Reservation via State law and participate in projects to import water or add storage to the Milk River Basin.

• Land and Status: It maintains the status of the Fort Belknap Indian Community as an Indian Tribe. It authorizes the transfer of federal lands into trust for the community, the exchange of specific state and federal lands, and the transition of tribally owned fee lands into the Reservation.

• Infrastructure and Projects: It directs the Secretary to fund the expansion and rehabilitation of the Fort Belknap Indian Irrigation Project. It also provides for Milk River Project mitigation, specifically the enlargement of the Dodson South Canal and the restoration of the St. Mary Canal.

• Financial Framework: It creates the Aaniiih Nakoda Settlement Trust Fund for administration and water/sewer systems, and the Fort Belknap Indian Community Water Settlement Implementation Fund for mitigation and project activities.

• Blackfeet Tribe Funding: It authorizes $250,000,000 for the Secretary of the Interior to manage the construction, design, planning, maintenance, operation, and replacement of community water distribution and wastewater treatment facilities for the Blackfeet Tribe.

• Legal Releases and Liability: The Fort Belknap Indian Community and the United States agree to release and waive claims regarding historical damages and water rights. Additionally, the United States is not held liable for failing to meet obligations if Congress does not provide enough money or if the Reclamation Water Settlements Fund lacks sufficient funds.