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Reauthorizing the Fort Peck Reservation Rural Water System Act of 2000

Floor Speech

Date: June 2, 2026
Location: Washington, DC

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Mr. DOWNING. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 7250, my legislation to reauthorize the Fort Peck Reservation Rural Water System Act. Passage of this bill will ensure the completion of a vital piece of water infrastructure for my constituents living in one of the most rural areas of the country.

Northeast Montana faces a variety of significant water access challenges, including regular droughts and contaminated groundwater. Towns, farms, ranches, and Tribes in the region need reliable water treatment facilities and infrastructure in order to overcome these issues.

To address these challenges, the Fort Peck Reservation Rural Water System Act of 2000 authorized a major water infrastructure partnership between the Assiniboine and Sioux Rural Water Supply System of the Fort Peck Reservation and the Dry Prairie Rural Water System in northeast Montana. It also provided funding and technical support for the project through the Bureau of Reclamation.

In the ensuing two and a half decades, the two water systems have successfully worked together with Federal partners to build an extensive network of over 3,000 miles of water pipeline, along with multiple pumping stations and a water treatment plant to service the region's 18,000 residents.

The project is nearly finished, with only 2 out of Dry Prairie's 23 pipeline phases in need of completion. However, its current Federal authorization is set to expire at the end of the year.

My legislation, H.R. 7250, extends the water system's authorization by 2 years to provide the necessary time for the completion of these final phases of the project. Without an authorization to build, the project's completion would be jeopardized.

Notably, this legislation does not appropriate any additional Federal funds. It solely reauthorizes work already on the verge of completion.

H.R. 7250 will continue a critical infrastructure project that directly benefits rural and Tribal communities in northeast Montana. Moreover, passage of this bill will allow this congressionally directed project to carry through to completion, ensuring that taxpayer dollars are spent as they were initially intended.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this important initiative for Montana.

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