Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribal Chair Shelly Fyant poses for a portrait on Jan. 2, 2021, in Polson, Mont.Photo: Tailyr Irvine for The InterceptConfederated Salish and Kootenai Tribal Chair Shelly Fyant poses for a portrait on Jan. 2, 2021, in Polson, Mont.Photo: Tailyr Irvine for The Intercept
Montana Tribes Hard-Hit by Covid-19 Brace for Republican Takeover
Native Americans in Montana are dying from Covid-19 at a rate 11 times higher than white residents.
January 9 2021, 2:41 p.m.
Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribal Chair Shelly Fyant poses for a portrait on Jan. 2, 2021, in Polson, Mont.Photo: Tailyr Irvine for The InterceptConfederated Salish and Kootenai Tribal Chair Shelly Fyant poses for a portrait on Jan. 2, 2021, in Polson, Mont.Photo: Tailyr Irvine for The Intercept
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
2:06
The CSKT Tribal Council unanimously approved a resolution ratifying the compact, making it official following its passage through Congress last week.
“We have several years to implement this, and we have a lot of work to do with the rebuilding of the Flathead Indian Irrigation Project and the assumption of the National Bison Range,” CSKT Chairwoman Shelly Fyant said.
Under the compact, the federal government will provide the tribes with $90 million annually over the next 10 years to rebuild the Flathead Irrigation Project. Congress will eventually need to pass additional appropriation bills to allocate the remainder of the $1.9 billion earmarked for the project. That funding is in exchange for the tribes relinquishing a majority of their water rights claims.