Water compact bill introduced
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HELENA — Republican State Senator Chas Vincent of Libby introduced a bill in the Montana State Legislature Feb. 4 for the ratification of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes Water Compact.
The 140-page Senate Bill 262 is the result of more than a decade of negotiations between the state, tribes, and federal government. The compact, passed in January by the state’s Montana Reserved Water Compact Commission, would settle all federal and state water claims for the tribes. If the compact does not pass by the end of this legislative session, the tribes will be forced to file their water claims in state water court. The tribes have said they intend to file as many as 10,000 claims across the state if the compact is not passed.
A hearing date for the bill was not set as of press time.
If the compact is passed, it must also be ratified by the United States Congress and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes. The tribal ratification could come by popular vote of tribal membership, or a vote of the tribal council.
