Editor's Note:
Char-Koosta News
PABLO â Time crawls by until itâs passed, then it has flown by. Such is the case of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes Federal Reserved Water Rights Compact (FRWRC), officially known as the Montana Water Rights Protection Act (MWRPA).Â
After decades of discussions and official negotiations with the Montana Reserved Water Rights Compact Commission (MRWRCC), the CSKTâs FRWRC was signed into law by the president of the United States Sunday, December 27.
On Tuesday, December 29, the Flathead Nation Tribal Council unanimously voted to ratify the MWRPA.
What remains now is some perfunctory formalities, including a sign-off by the Secretary of Interior; appointment of a Federal implementation team; negotiation of agreements and process to allow for the transfer of federal settlement funds to the Flathead Nation for implementation and CSKT management; implementation of the FRWRC; and a Decree of Compact and CSKT water rights by the Montana Water Court.