Technical Fix Approves $5.1 Million Payment for Shoshone-Paiute Tribal Water Settlement Fund

This legislation, titled the Technical Correction to the Shoshone-Paiute Tribes of the Duck Valley Reservation Water Rights Settlement Act of 2025, is a straightforward financial fix. It amends a section of the 2009 Omnibus Public Land Management Act to authorize an additional payment of exactly $5,124,902.12. This specific amount is designated for deposit into the Development Fund established for the Shoshone-Paiute Tribes of the Duck Valley Reservation, essentially ensuring the previous water rights settlement is fully funded as intended.

The Fine Print of Financial Settlements

Think of this bill like correcting a typo on a massive invoice. The original water rights settlement—a complex legal agreement resolving the tribes’ rights to water resources—included a funding mechanism, but the interest calculation was slightly off. This bill’s entire purpose is to make up that difference. It authorizes the appropriation of $5,124,902.12 to the Secretary for deposit into the Development Fund, which is used by the tribes for economic development and resource management.

Why This Matters for the Real World

For most people, a technical correction involving a specific tribal settlement might seem like pure bureaucratic paperwork. But for the Shoshone-Paiute Tribes, this is a significant and necessary funding boost. The Development Fund is critical for planning and executing projects that improve infrastructure, create jobs, and manage natural resources on the reservation. When a settlement is reached, the money needs to be right, and this bill ensures that the tribes receive the full financial benefit they were guaranteed, correcting an underpayment that was likely due to an interest calculation error.

Because this is a precise, technical correction to an existing law (Section 10807(b)(3) of the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009), there are no new regulations, no new costs to the public beyond the specified appropriation, and no changes to who can use the water. It’s simply about fulfilling the financial promise of an established legal agreement. This bill ensures that the $5.1 million, which should have been there all along, finally lands in the right account, allowing the tribes to move forward with their planned development projects without further delay.