Laserfiche WebLink
<br />( <br /> <br />( <br /> <br />Under the laws of most of the Upper Missouri River Basin states, <br /> <br />an impounder or diverter of water who captures water surplus to his <br /> <br />needs, is permitted and, in fact, required to sell his sUTPlus to any <br /> <br />party needing it for beneficial'useo S.Do Code fi 46-7-1 (SuPPo 1960); <br /> <br />N.D. Cent. Code <br /> <br />61-04-03 (SuPP. 1967); Neb. Rev. Stat. <br /> <br />1f6-273 (19'+3); <br /> <br />I~ont. Rev. Code <br /> <br />89-823 (1947); ,Wyo. Stat. <br /> <br />41- 39 (1957). <br /> <br />Federal Water Rights (Con@erce Cl. of U.So Constitution) <br /> <br />"'here navigable waters ~,re the subject of a cOJllprehensi ve use plan <br /> <br />enacted by Congress, the rights of the ste.tes are somewhat limitedo <br /> <br />The Missouri River is navigable up to Three Forks} Montana. <br /> <br />(Montuna Pover Co. v. F.P.C., 185 F.2d 491 (D.C. Ciro 1950); cert. denied, <br /> <br />340 U.S. 947 (1950); 33 U.S.C. <br /> <br />2.56-1)0 The gove:cmnent's meinstela <br /> <br />storage reservoirs on the Missouri River \Cere const.ructcd, bJ' thE: Corps <br /> <br />of Ene;ineers and all of them generate electrical energy llhich is dis- <br /> <br />tributed by the Bureau of Reclamation pursuant to Section 9 of thc <br /> <br />Flood Control Act of' 191~4 (53 Stat. 887). <br /> <br />Insofar as the navigable waters of the Missouri River were involved, <br /> <br />the Congressional action t.al,en by Congress in directing the prosecution <br /> <br />of the Pick-Sloan ~lissouri Basin Progra~ under Section 9 of the Flood <br /> <br />Control Act of 1944, constituted an exercise of the Commerce P01;er. <br /> <br />As the United States Supreme Court said in United States v. Appalachie.n <br /> <br />Electric Power Co., 311 U.S. 377, 426 (1940): <br /> <br />"In our view, it cannot properly be said that the <br />constitutionul power of the United States over its ,;uters <br />is 11mi ted to control for navigation. EJ' navigation <br />respondent means no mo:ce than opera,tion of boats and <br />improvement of the watenmy itself. In truth the <br />authority of the United States is the regulation of <br />commerce on its waters. lIavigubility, in the sense <br /> <br />14 <br /> <br />I <br />, <br /> <br />;-1 <br />