Tester Calls on House to Pass His Fort Belknap Water Compact, Deliver Critical Relief After St. Mary Siphon Failure

Senator in letter to Speaker Johnson and Leader Jeffries: “When disaster strikes, Americans expect their leaders to put aside differences, roll-up their sleeves and go to work to address the crisis”

U.S. Senator Jon Tester today called on the House of Representatives to immediately take up and pass his bipartisan Fort Belknap Indian Community (FBIC) Water Rights Settlement Act to provide critical funding for repairs on the Milk River Project following a major siphon burst near Babb, Montana. Tester successfully passed his bipartisan bill through the Senate last week, which specifically includes $275 million to rehabilitate the St. Mary’s canal.

Writing to House Speaker Mike Johnson and Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Tester called on the House to swiftly take up the Senate-passed compact and send it to the President’s desk: “When disaster strikes, Americans expect their leaders to put aside differences, roll-up their sleeves and go to work to address the crisis. That’s exactly what the Senate did last week and exactly what is now required of the House of Representatives to get the Fort Belknap Indian Community Water Rights Settlement of 2024 to the President’s desk. Today, I write to urge the House of Representatives to immediately take up and pass this critically important bipartisan legislation without any further delay.”

Tester specifically noted in his letter that the House has had ample time to review the legislation and should not delay passage any further in order to provide critical relief for North Central Montana water users: “The Fort Belknap Indian Community Water Rights Settlement of 2024 has passed the Senate with unanimous support on two separate occasions over the last 11 months. Congressman Matt Rosendale introduced a companion bill nearly a year ago on July 28, 2023.  During this period, the House of Representatives has had ample time to review the legislation, examine the hearing record, and confirm support with stakeholders.  With this timeline in mind, I believe it is appropriate for the House to immediately schedule a vote for the Fort Belknap Indian Community Water Rights Settlement of 2024 and send it to the President’s desk.” 

Tester concluded: “The thousands of impacted Montanans living in rural Montana can’t wait any longer.”

Following the burst of a major siphon on the Milk River Project, Tester last week took to the Senate floor to successfully pass his bipartisan Fort Belknap Indian Community (FBIC) Water Rights Settlement Act which would provide critical funding for repairs on the Milk River Project.

Tester’s Fort Belknap Indian Community (FBIC) Water Rights Settlement Act will provide $1.3 billion to improve infrastructure and economic development for the Fort Belknap Indian Community and improve the efficiency of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Milk River Project, which furnishes water for the irrigation of about 121,000 acres of Tribal and non-Tribal land. The bill specifically includes $275 million to rehabilitate the St. Mary’s canal. The bill will also restore Tribal management to 38,462 acres of state and federal land for the FBIC. Tester successfully passed the FBIC Water Compact through the Senate earlier this Congress as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), but Speaker Mike Johnson and House Republicans stripped it from the final package.

In addition to passing his FBIC Water Rights Settlement Act, Senator Tester called on the Biden Administration to provide immediate support for the local community, small businesses, and irrigators impacted by the siphon failure, which caused thousands of gallons of water to flood the surrounding area. The siphon burst has already caused extensive damage to local businesses, and will impact vital irrigation to farmland in the surrounding area. Tester also called on President Biden to include the Milk River Project in his Administration’s domestic supplemental package, which would make federal funding available to assist in the reconstruction of the St. Mary’s canal.

Tester has led the charge to fund the Milk River Project and water infrastructure projects across the state. Earlier this month, Tester announced that a more than $88 million contract was awarded to Montana-based NW Construction to complete the St. Mary Diversion Dam Replacement project. The contract is part of the up to $100 million Tester secured for the Milk River Project through his bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which he negotiated and helped pass into law. Tester was the only member of Montana’s Congressional delegation to support the legislation, and to support additional improvements to the St. Mary’s canal. 

You can read the Senator’s full letter to House leadership HERE.