[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 17] [House] [Pages 22283-22284] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]{time} 1215 TEMPORARY CONVEYANCE OF WATER RIGHTS TO DRY PRAIRIE RURAL WATER ASSOCIATION, INC. Mr. RADANOVICH. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the Senate bill (S. 1219) to authorize certain tribes in the State of Montana to enter into a lease or other temporary conveyance of water rights to meet the water needs of the Dry Prairie Rural Water Association, Inc S. 1219 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. TEMPORARY CONVEYANCE OF WATER RIGHTS TO DRY PRAIRIE RURAL WATER ASSOCIATION, INC. (a) In General.--The Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes of the Fort Peck Indian Reservation, Montana (referred to in this section as the ``Tribes'') may, with the approval of the Secretary, enter into a lease or other temporary conveyance of water rights recognized under the Fort Peck-Montana Compact (Montana Code Annotated 85-20-201) with the Dry Prairie Rural Water Association, Incorporated (or any successor non-Federal entity) for the purpose of meeting the water needs of that association, in accordance with section 5 of the Fort Peck Reservation Rural Water System Act of 2000 (Public Law 106-382; 114 Stat. 1454). (b) Conditions of Lease.--With respect to a lease or other temporary conveyance described in subsection (a)-- (1) the term of the lease or conveyance shall not exceed 100 years; and (2)(A) the lease or conveyance may be approved by the Secretary without monetary compensation to the Tribes; and (B) the Secretary shall not be subject to liability for any claim relating to any compensation or consideration received by the Tribes under the lease or conveyance. (C) No Permanent Alienation of Water.--Nothing in this section authorizes a permanent alienation of any water by the Tribes. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from California (Mr. Radanovich) and the gentlewoman from Guam (Ms. Bordallo) each will control 20 minutes. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California. General Leave Mr. RADANOVICH. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from California? There was no objection. Mr. RADANOVICH. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, S. 1219, introduced by Senator Conrad Burns and supported by our Montana colleague, Mr. Dennis Rehberg, allows two Fort Peck Indian Reservation tribes to lease water to nearby non-Indian communities. Because water supplies are very scarce in [[Page 22284]] northern Montana, Congress authorized the construction of a rural water supply project for the Fort Peck Indian Reservation and some of its neighbors. With the project now under way, water users realize that the underlying law needs to be clarified to ensure a water transfer can be made. This bill makes this commonsense clarification on a Federal level. The State Water Commission has already approved the conveyance. I urge my colleagues to support this noncontroversial bill. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, this legislation is the companion to H.R. 2978, a bill that passed the House of Representatives this past May. S. 1219 offers a sensible and a cooperative solution to a water supply problem in eastern Montana. Too often in this body we are witness to conflicts over resources, especially when it comes to water problems in our western States. This bill is a welcome departure from that. Mr. Speaker, we strongly support the adoption of the Senate bill 1219. Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time. Mr. RADANOVICH. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from California (Mr. Radanovich) that the House suspend the rules and pass the Senate bill, S. 1219. The question was taken; and (two-thirds of those voting having responded in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the Senate bill was passed. A motion to reconsider was laid on the table. ____________________