Office of the Secretary

For Immediate Release: December 10, 1999

Contact: Noel L. Gerson (202) 208-6291

PRESIDENT CLINTON SIGNS INTO LAW ADMINISTRATIONS
FIRST INDIAN WATER RIGHTS SETTLEMENT

President Clinton today signed into law the Chippewa Cree Tribe of The Rocky Boy's Reservation Indian Reserved Water Rights Settlement and Water Supply Enhancement Act of 1999. The agreement marks the successful completion of negotiations among the United States, the State of Montana, and the Chippewa Cree Tribe of the Rocky Boy's Reservation that have been on-going for more than eight years.

The Department of the Interior led the negotiations for the Federal government. "This settlement was reached in the true spirit of cooperation. It represents a strong partnership among Federal, State, and Tribal parties," said Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt. "Through a great deal of hard work, we have forged a settlement that satisfies Tribal rights and needs, while also recognizing the rights and needs of non-Indians in the region. I commend this team for their cooperative spirit, their tireless efforts have made this settlement possible. In particular, I would like to thank Acting Deputy Secretary of the Interior David J. Hayes for his strong, persistent leadership on this important matter."

Under the Act, the United States formally approves and becomes a party to a Water Rights Compact entered into by the Tribe and the State in April, 1997. The Compact recognizes the Tribe's on-Reservation water, and addresses future water needs by providing an additional right to water stored in the Tiber Reservoir. The Act also authorizes federal funding for four specific on-Reservation water resource development projects, it authorizes water resources development feasibility studies, and provides modest economic development funding to the Tribe.

The Tribe has a need for enhanced water storage and infrastructure capacities in order to maintain its modest agricultural base, or to meet the domestic water needs of its rapidly growing population. Bruce Sunchild, Chair of the Tribe's Water Rights Negotiating Team, stressed the importance of the settlement to the Tribe, now and in the future. "This settlement signals a turning point in the Chippewa Cree's history by setting the foundation for the realization of the Tribe's vision of the Rocky Boy's Reservation as a self-sustaining homeland for the Chippewa Cree people."

Chris Tweeten, Chairman of the Montana Reserved Water Rights Compact Commission, also applauded the settlement. "This agreement brings certainty to an area in which water is the lifeblood of the economy. The real heroes are the people of the Rocky Boy's Reservation and their neighboring ranchers who set aside years of mistrust to reach this agreement, and in doing so, showed great courage, leadership, and compassion. The enactment of this settlement is a tribute to their efforts."

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