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 Congressman Steve Daines announced that his amendment prohibiting the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers from charging a fee for surplus water from the Missouri River was successfully included in the FY 2014 Energy and Water Development appropriations bill, which was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives last night.

The amendment, which was led by Daines, Rep. Kristi Noem (R-SD) and Rep. Kevin Cramer (R-ND), specifically prohibits the Corps of Engineers from using any of the funds in the bill to issue rules or regulations related to charging a fee for surplus water.

Daines’ amendment was introduced in response to the recent Corps of Engineers proposal to charge municipal and industrial water users for using water from the reservoirs on the Missouri River, including Fort Peck Lake in Montana.

“For years, Montana families, rural water systems and farmers and ranchers have relied on the Missouri River as a critical source of water—water that is legally theirs and has been accessible without a fee for decades,” Daines stated.“This amendment puts a stop to the Corps of Engineers’ overreaching attempts to impose new, costly regulations that violate long-standing legal rights protecting the water that belongs to the people of Montana.”

The Daines-Noem-Cramer amendment was approved during consideration of the Energy and Water Development appropriations bill, which was passed by the House late last night.

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