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BOISE, Idaho (AP) - The state Legislature has ratified a historic agreement between the Nez Perce Indian Tribe, the federal government and the state's water users, setting water policy in Idaho for the next 30 years.
The agreement calls for the tribe to drop its claim to nearly all water in the Snake River Basin. In exchange, it will receive annual rights to 50,000 acre-feet of water in the Clearwater River, plus $80 million in cash and land and a pledge from state and federal governments to provide tens of millions of dollars for fish habitat and other environmental improvements.
"The Legislature's approval of these three pieces of legislation gives us the tools we need to protect Idaho's sovereignty over its water," Gov. Dirk Kempthorne said in a statement issued after the Senate approved it 27-7 Wednesday.
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