House subcommittee examines Indian water rights

Thursday, April 17, 2008  

The House Natural Resources Committee, Subcommittee on Water and Power, held a hearing on Wednesday to examine Indian water rights settlements.

Rep. Grace Napolitano (D-California), the chairwoman of the subcommittee, said only 21 water rights claims have been resolved since a key U.S. Supreme Court decision in 1908. Four settlements are before Congress and nine more are expected, she said.

An Interior Department official said the four pending settlements could cost $4 billion. The Bush administration has balked at paying out its share of some deals.

Montana has already settled water rights with six out of seven tribes in the state, a state official said. Three more deals, including one with the Blackfeet Nation, are ready to be sent to Congress this year.

Get the Story:
Tribes' water claims wind through process (The Billings Gazette 4/17)