Crow Tribe gains control of water settlement funds and infrastructure
S. 240 — Crow Tribe Water Rights Settlement Amendments Act of 2025 · Filed by Steve Daines (R-MT) · 1 cosponsor · Introduced Jan 24, 2025 · Passed chamber
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What it does
This bill amends the 2010 Crow Tribe Water Rights Settlement Act to restructure how settlement funds are managed and spent. It creates two new accounts—one for water infrastructure projects (MR&I Projects Account) and one for implementing a Crow irrigation project (Crow CIP Implementation Account)—and allows the Tribe to use remaining funds to purchase land with water rights after infrastructure is complete. The bill also repeals an old MR&I System section, extends a deadline for Yellowtail Dam work by 5 years, and adjusts funding amounts for inflation using a federal construction cost index.
Why we flagged it
The bill operationalizes a 2010 settlement agreement by creating dedicated accounts, clarifying fund management, and expanding tribal authority over water infrastructure and land acquisition—a technical amendment to a prior settlement, not new policy.
What the text implies
- By allowing the Tribe to purchase on-Reservation land with water rights after infrastructure completion, the bill may accelerate consolidation of water resources under tribal control, potentially affecting downstream water availability or competing claims in the Yellowstone River basin.
- The inflation adjustment mechanism (Bureau of Reclamation Construction Cost Index) ties future funding to federal cost indices, meaning appropriations may need to increase if construction costs exceed historical trends—a potential unfunded mandate for Congress.
The full analysis lists 4 implications of this text.
Who stands to gain
Crow Tribe (direct recipient of settlement funds and infrastructure control); Construction and engineering firms (hired to build/repair water infrastructure); Land sellers (if Tribe purchases on-Reservation land with water rights)