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Missouri River should not be required to pay for water that is legally and historically theirs. The Corps' proposal infringes on the Corps' agreement and South Dakota's underlying right to the water. Additionally, charging for the storage and utilization of the Missouri River water constitutes an unprecedented power grab and would have numerous negative impacts on individuals, tribes, businesses, and water systems in South Dakota.
• On September 12th, I sent a letter along with Senators Tim Johnson (D-S.D.), Kent Conrad (D-N.D.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), and Jon Tester (D-Mont.) to Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chairman Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and Ranking Member James Inhofe (R-Okla.). The letter urges Senators Boxer and Inhofe to promptly schedule a committee oversight hearing regarding the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' plans to restrict access to Missouri River water and to charge users for water taken from Missouri River reservoirs. The letter also requests that the committee invite South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley to testify at the hearing.
• The Corps' water fee proposal adds insult to injury to many communities located along the Missouri River in South Dakota. I will continue to work with my colleagues in the Senate to review the Corps of Engineers' operations and priorities, and to ensure they balance the efforts to standardize the allocation of reservoir water with an understanding of history and precedent as it relates to the water rights of South Dakota.