Blunt Reservoir and Pierre Canal Land Conveyance Act of 2006
Public Law 109-458 · S. 2205 · 109th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by George W. Bush (R) on Dec 22, 2006 · Water Resources Development
Sponsor: Sen. John Thune (R-SD)
Cosponsors (1): Sen. Tim Johnson
Passage votes
- HouseUnanimous consent
- SenateUnanimous consent
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
Blunt Reservoir and Pierre Canal Land Conveyance Act of 2006 - Deauthorizes the Blunt Reservoir feature of the Oahe Irrigation Project authorized as part of the Pick-Sloan Missouri River Basin Program.
Allows preferential leaseholders of parcels of the Blunt Reservoir and Pierre Canal an option to purchase such parcels from the Secretary of the Interior (acting through the Commissioner of Reclamation) or the Commission of Schools and Public Lands of South Dakota for five years after this Act's enactment and for the fair market value for agricultural purposes less 25%, exclusive of the value of improvements made while the land was federally owned.
Directs the Secretary to offer to convey to the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish, and Parks all preferential lease parcels not purchased by the leaseholder, and the nonpreferential leased parcels and unleased parcels of the Blunt Reservoir and Pierre Canal, to be used for mitigating the wildlife habitat that was lost as a result of the development of the Pick-Sloan project.
Authorizes the Commission, with the Department's concurrence, to allow a person to exchange other land in South Dakota for a nonpreferential lease parcel or unleased parcel at Blunt Reservoir or Pierre Canal. Requires priority to be granted to: (1) exchanges with current lessees for nonpreferential lease parcels; and (2) exchanges with adjoining and adjacent landowners for unleased parcels and nonpreferential lease parcels not exchanged by current lessees.
Conditions the exchange of land of the Pierre Canal Feature on U.S. reservation of a perpetual easement to the land to allow it to design, construct, operate, maintain, repair, and replace a pipeline or other water conveyance structure over, under, across, or through the Pierre Canal feature.
Shields the United States from liability for damages arising out of any act, omission, or occurrence relating to parcels conveyed under this Act, except for acts of negligence committed before the date of conveyance.
Directs the Secretary: (1) to continue, until the conveyance date, to lease each parcel to be conveyed according to the terms and conditions applicable on the date of enactment of this Act; and (2) to provide South Dakota with a full legal description of all parcels that may be conveyed.
Directs the Secretary to transfer all archeological and cultural resource items collected from the Blunt Reservoir Feature and Pierre Canal Feature to the South Dakota State Historical Society.
Authorizes appropriations to reimburse the Secretary, the Commission, and the Department for expenses incurred in implementing this Act, not to exceed 10% of the cost of each transaction.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Energy and Natural Resources Committee · Senate · discharged from, referred toSubcommittee: Water and Power Subcommittee
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Related bills
1 bill the Library of Congress relates to this one.
H.R. 4301Identical billRelated bill
Blunt Reservoir and Pierre Canal Land Conveyance Act of 2006
Data notes
Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 17 actions.
- Dec 22, 2006Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 109-458.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Dec 20, 2006FloorFloor · Presented to President.
- Dec 9, 2006FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On passage Passed without objection.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Pombo asked unanimous consent to take from the Speaker's table and consider.
- FloorFloor · Considered by unanimous consent.
- Dec 8, 2006FloorFloor · Held at the desk.
- FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- FloorFloor · Received in the House.
- Dec 7, 2006FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- FloorFloor · Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent.
- CommitteeCommittee · Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources discharged by Unanimous Consent.
- Mar 30, 2006CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water and Power. Hearings held. With printed Hearing: S.Hrg. 109-460.
- CommitteeCommittee · Hearings by Water and Power Subcommittee of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
- Jan 26, 2006CommitteeCommittee · Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in Senate
Data notes
Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.
Amendments
1 amendment offered to the bill, with the last recorded step of each.
- Agreed to
S.Amdt. 5229SenateSen. Pete DomeniciR-NM· offered Dec 7, 2006Agreed to
In the nature of a substitute.
Dec 7, 2006: Amendment SA 5229 agreed to in Senate by Unanimous Consent.
Data notes
Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.
Official record
The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.