On the recordFebruary 17, 2011
today I rise to introduce the Blackfeet Water Rights Settlement Act of 2011. The Blackfeet Reservation is located in northwest Montana with Canada to the north and Glacier Park to the west. The Blackfeet Reservation consists of approximately 1.5 million acres with farming and tribal and federal government as the primary source of economic activity. About 10,100 people live on the reservation and approximately 25,800 live off reservation. The Blackfeet Tribe is ably assisted by the Blackfeet Tribal Business Council of which Willie Sharp is Chairman. The Blackfeet Reservation was established under the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1851. Later, part of the reservation was sold to the U.S. Government, and the Sweetgrass Hills Treaty was ratified by Congress in 1888. Over 100 years ago the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that such treaties imply a commitment to reserve sufficient water to satisfy both present and future needs of a tribe. Today we are moving forward on the journey to fulfill that commitment with the introduction of the Blackfeet Water Rights Settlement Act of 2011. The Blackfeet Water Rights Settlement Act of 2011 will resolve over a century of conflict over waters in Montana. The Act ratifies the water rights compact with the Blackfeet Nation.
