Skip to main content
H.R. 845 111th Congress House

Crow Tribe Water Rights Settlement Act of 2009

Official title: To authorize the Crow Tribe of Indians water rights settlement, and for other purposes.

Introduced: February 4, 2009 See on congress.gov
Native Americans Dams and canalsGovernment trust fundsIndian claimsIndian lands and resources rights
More subjectsShow fewer subjects
Indian social and development programsLakes and riversMontanaWater storageWater use and supply
This bill died when the 111th Congress ended
It never became law before the 111th Congress (2009–2010) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 3 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Feb 9, 2009
Referred to the Subcommittee on Water and Power.
Feb 4, 2009
Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
Feb 4, 2009
Introduced in House
 Ask about this bill AI · grounded in the bill text

Have a question about what this bill does? Ask in plain English; the answer is drawn from the bill's actual text and official record, and it'll tell you when something isn't in the text rather than guess.

AI answers can be imperfect; always confirm against the full bill text.

 Latest action February 9, 2009

Referred to the Subcommittee on Water and Power.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Crow Tribe Water Rights Settlement Act of 2009 - Ratifies the water rights compact between the Crow Tribe and the state of Montana. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to promptly execute the compact and comply with applicable environmental statutes.

Requires the Secretary, through the Commissioner of Reclamation, to carry out activities necessary to: (1) rehabilitate and improve the water diversion and delivery features of the Crow Irrigation Project in accordance with an agreement to be negotiated with the Tribe; and (2) design and construct such features of the reservation's municipal, rural, and industrial water system.

Ratifies tribal water rights, which shall be held in trust for the use and benefit of the Tribe. Grants the Tribe sole authority to allocate, distribute, and lease such rights, subject to specified limitations. Applies specified provisions of the Act of February 8, 1887, relating to using water for irrigation, to the tribal water rights.

Directs the Secretary to allocate to the Tribe 300,000 acre-feet per year of water stored in Bighorn Lake, under a water right held by the United States, as measured at the Yellowtail Dam outlet works.

Requires the Tribe, as a condition of receiving an allocation, to enter into an agreement with the Secretary to establish the terms and conditions. Declares that the benefits provided satisfy all claims of the Tribe and allottees.

Establishes in the Treasury the Crow Settlement Fund. Grants the Tribe the exclusive right to develop and market power generation as a water development project on the Yellowtail Afterbay Dam.

Repeals this Act on January 1, 2015, if the Secretary does not publish by March 31, 2015, a statement of findings that specified conditions have been fulfilled (including court approval and ratification of the compact).

 Related & companion bills 3
 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 2
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 845: Crow Tribe Water Rights Settlement Act of 2009. 111th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/111-HR-845/
MLA
"H.R. 845: Crow Tribe Water Rights Settlement Act of 2009." 111th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/111-HR-845/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 845, 111th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/111-HR-845/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 845: Crow Tribe Water Rights Settlement Act of 2009](https://openamerica.io/bill/111-HR-845/)
Report a problem