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The Department of the Interior met with the Osage Nation in an effort to help the United States better understand the Osage Nation's water rights claims in Osage territory. The Osage Nation also showed the three steps that they have taken to protect those water rights. These include limiting the ability to export water from the Arkansas River basin, negotiating capacity in the Enid pipeline so that water can be delivered to the Nation at a future date and preparing an engineering analysis of both current and future water needs.

Osage Nation Principal Chief Geoffrey Standing Bear said this on Osage Nation water rights:

“Our water rights are under attack. We will continue to defend ourselves. This is our water and we will protect it.”

The Osage Nation says water rights are vital to the the Nation's sovereignty and any attempt to interfere with that will be met with opposition.