Thanks for the link Stlhead. The press release says the money if for impacts to the Tribes. It seems like the impact to the Tribes is by the federal Grand Coulee and Chief Joseph reservoirs flooding tribal lands. Does it follow that since tribal lands are flooded, the water then belongs to the tribes? That could well be under water law; I don't know. So the state is buying the water that the tribes own via adverse possession? It seems like the deal might make sense, but the people who want the water, cities and irrigators, ought to be the ones buying and paying for it. But since an election year is coming up, and eastern WA votes Republican, Gregoire might buy a few votes by having all the state's taxpayers, most of whom live in western WA, buy the water for eastern WA cities and irrigators. But since they vote Republican, they aren't gonna' vote for her anyway. My brief analysis concludes it's a waste of my tax dollars.

Sg