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- By Native News Online Staff
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Ten bills aimed at tribal water rights passed the Senate Committee on Indin Affairs on Wednesday.
The legislation spans from completing settlements to shoring up resources for water infrastructure on reservations in Montana, New Mexico, and California.
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Introduced by Senator Steve Daines (R-MT), the Northern Montana Water Security Act will complete the Fort Belknap Indian Community Water Settlement, the final Indian water rights settlement in Montana. It will provide around $1.3 billion for infrastructure improvements. Also introduced by Daines, the Crow Tribe Water Settlement Amendment Act loosens restrictions to infrastructure development and extends authorization for the tribe to develop hydropower.
Half-a-dozen bills introduced by Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) and U.S. Representatives Teresa Leger Fernández (D-N.M.), Gabe Vasquez (D-N.M.), and Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.) also passed unanimously. The Rio San José and Rio Jemez Water Rights Settlements Act will implement two fund-based water settlements, one between the Pueblos of Jemez and Zia, the United States, the State of New Mexico, and non-Tribal parties, and another between the Pueblos of Acoma and Laguna, the United States, the State of New Mexico, and non-Tribal parties.
The Ohkay Owingeh Rio Chama Water Rights Settlement Act establishes a trust fund to implement the negotiated settlement between the United States, the State of New Mexico, the City of Española, the Asociación de Acéquias Norteñas de Rio Arriba, El Rito Ditch Asociación, La Asociación de las Acéquias del Rio Tusas, Vallecitos y Ojo Caliente, the Rio de Chama Acéquia Association, and Ohkay Owingeh to settle the Pueblo’s water claims in the Rio Chama Basin.
The Zuni Indian Tribe Water Rights Settlement Act authorizes $685 million to support a trust for sustainable water management and infrastructure development that upholds the federal government’s trust responsibility while protecting the sacred Zuni Salt Lake. The bill ratifies the settlement between the federal government, the State of New Mexico, and the Zuni Tribe that affirms their water rights for irrigation, livestock, storage, and domestic and other uses.
The Navajo Nation Rio San José Water Rights Settlement Act would approve the water rights settlement for the Navajo Nation and participating non-Tribal parties in the Rio San José watershed.
The Navajo Gallup Water Supply Project Amendments amends the existing project to ensure it has the resources and time needed to reach completion to deliver drinking water to northwestern New Mexico communities.
The Technical Corrections to the Northwestern New Mexico Rural Water Projects Act, Taos Pueblo Indian Water Rights Settlement Act, and Aamodt Litigation Settlement Act bill authorizes the appropriation of $6.3 million for the Navajo Nation Water Resources Development Fund; $7.8 million for the Taos Pueblo Water Development Fund; and $4.3 million for the Aamodt Settlement Pueblos’ Fund, which covers Nambé, Pojoaque, San Ildefonso, and Tesuque Pueblos.
As well, the Shoshone-Paiute Tribes of the Duck Valley Reservation Water Rights Settlement Act, introduced by Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) would allow the tribes to collect more than $5 million in interest they are owed for their 2009 water rights settlement, which left out commonplace interest payments.
Finally, the Tule River Tribe Reserved Water Rights Settlement Act of 2025, introduced by Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA) will settle the tribe’s water rights claims.
During a comment period, Cortez Masto noted that the bills addressed long-standing water rights issues and received bipartisan support.
“For too long, we have been addressing a number of these issues in Indian Country, and I am so pleased we are able to move these bills again in a bipartisan way today,” Cortez Mastro said.
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