A bill that would exchange subsurface mineral interests on the Crow Reservation for federal acreage in Musselshell County cleared the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, Sens. Steve Daines and Tim Sheehy announced.
The Crow Revenue Act would transfer roughly 4,660 acres of private subsurface inholdings on the reservation, known as the Hope Family Tracts, to the Crow Tribe of Montana. In exchange, the federal government would convey 4,530 acres of subsurface and 940 acres of surface interests in Musselshell County — the Bull Mountains Tracts — resolving ownership questions that have persisted for decades.
The measure would also require the Crow Tribe and the Hope family to enter a revenue sharing agreement covering any interests developed in the Bull Mountains Tracts, creating an ongoing income stream for the tribe. Supporters say the exchange would provide operating certainty for the Bull Mountains Mine near Roundup and expand public access to public lands in the Bull Mountains.
“The Crow Revenue Act is a huge win for the Crow Tribe, Roundup and the surrounding communities,” Daines said in a statement, saying the bill helps the tribe receive new revenue while supporting miners and the local economy.
Sheehy said resolving the mineral ownership issues would create “a new stable source of revenue for the Crow Tribe” while preserving mining jobs and expanding public land access, calling it a practical approach to supporting local communities and the state’s energy future.
Daines first introduced the bill in May 2024. Gov. Greg Gianforte endorsed it at the time, describing it as a commonsense solution providing certainty and revenue to the tribe while allowing access to energy resources.
The sponsors have compared the measure to the Northern Cheyenne Lands Act, a bipartisan bill signed into law in 2014 that addressed similar inholding issues on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation.