House subcommittee examines Indian water rights
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Filed Under:
Environment
|
Politics
The House Natural Resources Committee, Subcommittee on Water and Power, held a
hearing on Wednesday to examine Indian water rights settlements.
Rep. Grace Napolitano (D-California), the chairwoman of the subcommittee, said only 21 water rights claims have been resolved since a key U.S. Supreme Court decision in 1908. Four settlements are before Congress and nine more are expected, she said.
An Interior Department official said the four pending settlements could cost $4 billion. The Bush administration has balked at paying out its share of some deals.
Montana has already settled water rights with six out of seven tribes in the state, a state official said. Three more deals, including one with the Blackfeet Nation, are ready to be sent to Congress this year.
Get the Story:
Tribes' water claims wind through process
(The Billings Gazette 4/17)
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