This bill amends the Crow Tribe Water Rights Settlement Act of 2010. It changes definitions and replaces references to a single "MR&I System" with "MR&I Projects." It repeals the old MR&I System section and creates new accounts and rules for managing settlement money. The Crow Settlement Fund will be managed, invested, and distributed by the Secretary and remain available until spent. A new MR&I Projects Account and a Crow CIP Implementation Account must be established to hold specified appropriated amounts and any interest. The MR&I Projects Account may be used first for planning, permitting, design, engineering, construction, replacement, operation, or repair of water production, treatment, delivery, and wastewater infrastructure and to meet environmental law requirements. After the Tribe gives written notice that on-Reservation MR&I projects are complete, leftover MR&I funds may be used to purchase on-Reservation land with water rights. The bill says title, control, and operation of any project built with MR&I funds remain with the Tribe and that the Federal Government has no obligation to pay for operation, maintenance, or replacement of those projects. The bill also extends one Yellowtail Dam repayment period from 15 to 20 years, directs transfers from existing joint signature accounts into the new accounts, and adds an indexing adjustment for MR&I Projects Account deposits using the Bureau of Reclamation Construction Cost Index-Composite Trend. Several technical and clerical section-number changes are included.
The bill describes how money will flow but does not list specific dollar amounts. It creates the MR&I Projects Account and the Crow CIP Implementation Account to receive appropriated amounts and interest. It requires transfers from two existing joint signature accounts into those new accounts. It also allows indexing adjustments for MR&I deposits based on the Bureau of Reclamation Construction Cost Index-Composite Trend. No publicly available information on total costs, specific appropriation amounts, or changes in annual federal spending is provided in the bill text.
No publicly available information.
No publicly available information.