John Williams: “this technical corrections bill contains language which clarifies the original intent of Congress when we enacted Public…”

“this technical corrections bill contains language which clarifies the original intent of Congress when we enacted Public Law 102-374, the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reserved Water Rights Settlement Act of 1991. This act was passed to finally quantify the water rights of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe and to provide for the repair and enlargement of the Tongue River Dam to hold those water rights. The repair of the dam is high priority because the spillway is too small creating unsafe conditions during high flow periods. Due to a drafting error in the original bill however, the funds for the environmental compliance and fish and wildlife mitigation for the dam reconstruction were frozen by the Department of Interior because questions were raised concerning whether environmental compliance and fish and wildlife mitigation costs were covered under the authorization for the Tongue River Dam project. Mr. Speaker, the entire Montana congressional delegation along with Chairman Miller of the Natural Resources Committee and Chairman Richardson and Senator Inouye of the House and Senate Indian Affairs Committees support this legislation.”