Congress looks to help tribal irrigation systems

Lake County Leader

U.S. Sen. Steve Daines recently said he helped introduce legislation to ensure Montana tribes have the resources they need to maintain irrigation projects on Montana reservations.

 Daines this week joined Senators John Barrasso (R-WY), Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Mike Enzi (R-WY) and Jon Tester (D-MT) in introducing the Irrigation Rehabilitation and Renovation for Indian Tribal Governments and Their Economies Act, which will fix critical maintenance backlog issues at certain Indian irrigation projects throughout Montana and the West. Montana currently faces the largest maintenance backlog of Indian irrigation projects. “We need a long-term strategy to maintain and address the needs of our Tribes’ irrigation systems. For far too long, perpetual delays and  maintenance backlogs have caused inefficient water delivery and damaged infrastructure on Montana’s reservations,” Daines stated. 

The bill would authorize funding from the revenues in the Reclamation Fund to address the deferred maintenance needs of certain Bureau of Indian Affairs irrigation projects, which includes any structures, facilities, equipment, or vehicles used in connection with the projects. It would also require a longer-term study on the operations of these projects. 

Daines introduced H.R. 4420, the Authorized Rural Water Projects Completion Act, which would secure funding for Montana rural water projects—providing rural communities and tribes with the support necessary to finally complete rural water projects that have been underfunded for several years, a commitment he will continue in the Senate.

 Daines also included in the final Energy and Water Development Act an amendment that increased funding for the Rocky Boy’s Chippewa Cree and North Central Mountain Rural Water System and the Fort Peck Assiniboine and the Sioux Tribes.