S 240: Crow Tribe Water Rights Settlement Amendments Act of 2025

S 240 in plain English: This bill amends a 2010 water rights settlement between the Crow Tribe of Montana and the state of Montana. It updates how funds are managed for two major water infrastructure projects on the Crow Reservation and extends the tribe's exclusive right to build hydropower facilities on the Yellowtail Afterbay Dam by five years, to 2030.

Stated purpose

This bill amends the 2010 Crow Tribe Water Rights Settlement Act to update and improve the terms of the water rights agreement between the Crow Tribe of Montana and the state of Montana, including changes to how water infrastructure funds are managed and an extension of the tribe's exclusive right to develop hydropower at Yellowtail Afterbay Dam.

Key points

• Creates a new Crow CIP Implementation Account for ongoing rehabilitation of the Crow Irrigation Project
• Creates a new MR&I Projects Account restricting funds to water production, treatment, or delivery infrastructure
• Extends the Crow Tribe's exclusive right to construct hydropower facilities on Yellowtail Afterbay Dam to 2030

Arguments supporters make

• Updating the 2010 settlement modernizes how funds are managed and gives the Tribe clearer control over its own water infrastructure, supporting tribal self-determination.
• Extending the hydropower exclusivity period gives the Crow Tribe more time to develop an economic resource on their own land, potentially generating long-term revenue for the reservation.
• Clarifying that the federal government has no ongoing maintenance obligation creates cleaner accountability and encourages the Tribe to manage infrastructure efficiently.

Arguments opponents make

• Shifting all operation and maintenance costs to the Tribe — with no federal obligation — could leave the Crow Tribe bearing a heavy long-term financial burden for infrastructure it did not originally choose to fund alone.
• Extending the hydropower exclusivity period by five more years delays any competitive development of the Yellowtail Afterbay Dam resource and could postpone broader energy benefits for the region.
• Replacing a single unified MR&I System with multiple MR&I Projects and new account structures adds administrative complexity that could slow delivery of clean water to reservation residents.

Tradeoffs

The bill gives the Crow Tribe greater ownership and control over water infrastructure and hydropower development, but in exchange removes any federal obligation to help fund the long-term operation and upkeep of that infrastructure, shifting those costs entirely to the Tribe.

Current status in Congress: Passed both chambers.

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