Ryan Zinke Presses Obama Administration to Move Swiftly on Blackfeet Water Compact

Press Release

Today, Montana Congressman Ryan Zinke pressed the Obama Administration to move swiftly on the pending Blackfeet Water Compact. In a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder and Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell, Zinke urged the agencies to work together to advance the compact. The Blackfeet Compact passed the State Legislature in 2009 after 20 years of negotiations but has since stalled in Washington, D.C., for the past five years.

"After 25 years of negotiating with government bureaucracies and politicians, the Blackfeet deserve a timely and definitive ruling on their agreement," said Zinke. "Tribes, states, and local citizens are left in a perpetual state of uncertainty. The tribe has waited long enough. I strongly urge both Departments to swiftly work with the Blackfeet Tribe to thoroughly examine their proposal, determine federal costs, and negotiate a final settlement. The Committee has laid out reasonable expectations to propel this process forward and I encourage the Administration to work expeditiously to reach a resolution. Once a final deal is reached and Chairman Bishop has introduced the legislation, I will fight to see its passage in Congress."

In February of this year, House Natural Resources Committee Chairman and Utah Congressman Rob Bishop introduced new rules governing how water compacts move through Congress. New parliamentary procedure requires the Department of Justice (Holder) and Department of Interior (Jewell) to work together with the tribe to settle any extenuating claims or come to final terms. Once this process happens, the approved deal goes to Congress. At this point, the Chairman of the Natural Resources Committee, and only the Chairman, may choose to introduce the legislation to the Committee. The bill may then go on to the House Floor should it pass committee. No other Member of Congress, including the Congressman from the home state of the tribe, may introduce the legislation. Read the letter from Chairman Bishop here.

In the letter, Zinke called the new rules "practical," adding, "I strongly support this approach as a means to expedite the process, particularly for the Blackfeet Tribe's Water Compact. Our Tribes and Montanans deserve a government that proactively works towards a solution rather than continuing the status quo."

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