• December 11, 2025

U.S. SENATE - U.S. Senators Steve Daines and Tim Sheehy today announced that their bill, the Crow Tribe Water Settlement Amendments Act of 2025, passed the U.S. Senate with unanimous consent and now heads to the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill ensures the Crow Tribe's ability to successfully implement the Crow Tribe Water Rights Settlement Act of 2009 and will ensure the tribe has access to clean water.

"Access to clean water is a basic necessity, and the Crow Tribe Water Settlement Amendment will ensure Montana's Crow Tribe has the resources they need to deliver clean water to communities on the reservation and complete critical energy development projects. This has been a longstanding priority of mine, so I'm thrilled to see the bill pass the U.S. Senate and will keep fighting to get it passed through the House of Representatives," said Daines.

"Ensuring our tribal partners have the support they need to access clean water and develop critical infrastructure to spur economic growth is common sense, and that's what the Crow Tribe Water Settlement Amendment delivers. I'm glad to see this pass the Senate and will keep working with the Montana delegation to make life more safe, prosperous, and affordable for all Montanans," said Sheehy.

Background:

The "Crow Tribe Water Rights Settlement Act" of 2009 settled the Crow Tribe's water rights and authorized $460 million to construct a water system for the tribe. The "Crow Tribe Water Rights Settlements Amendments Act" would update the previous settlement to be fund-based rather than project-based, and also extends the authorization for the Tribe to develop hydropower on the Yellowtail Afterbay Dam until 2030, providing clean energy and an economic boost to the community.

Click HERE for bill text and HERE for a summary of the bill.

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