Crow Tribe gains control of water infrastructure funding and tribal land investment
H.R. 726 — Crow Tribe Water Rights Settlement Amendments Act of 2025 · Filed by Troy Downing (R-MT) · 1 cosponsor · Introduced Jan 24, 2025 · Reported out
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What it does
This bill amends the 2010 Crow Tribe Water Rights Settlement Act to restructure how water infrastructure funds are managed and used. It repeals the old MR&I System framework, establishes a new MR&I Projects Account for the Crow Tribe to build and maintain water infrastructure on tribal lands, clarifies that the Tribe retains full ownership and control of projects built with these funds, and extends the federal government's obligation to help operate Yellowtail Dam from 15 to 20 years. The Tribe gains direct control over water infrastructure investment and can use remaining funds to purchase land with water rights.
Why we flagged it
The bill's core function is to transfer control of water infrastructure funding and project ownership from federal management to the Crow Tribe, strengthening tribal self-determination and water security. It is a technical amendment to a 2010 settlement agreement that operationalizes tribal authority.
What the text implies
- The 20-year limit on federal Yellowtail Dam operation support creates a hard deadline after which the Tribe must assume full operational costs—a long-term fiscal obligation not immediately apparent from the amendment language.
- The ability to use remaining MR&I funds to purchase on-Reservation land with water rights may trigger complex interactions with existing water law, state water rights regimes, and federal trust responsibilities not addressed in this amendment.
The full analysis lists 3 implications of this text.
Who stands to gain
Crow Tribe (direct recipient of water infrastructure capital and management authority)