WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Jeff Bingaman and Tom Udall today announced that legislation to settle the water rights claims of Taos Pueblo and the claims of the Pueblos of Nambe, Pojoaque, San Ildefonso and Tesuque was signed into law.
The bill not only codifies the settlements, it also provides funding to implement them -- including $180 million to implement the Navajo settlement that Congress enacted last year.
The legislation, which was approved by Congress last week, settles two of the longest-standing water rights cases in New Mexico.
It contains the Taos Pueblo Indian Water Rights Settlement Act, which settles the Abeyta case. That measure codifies an agreement signed in 2006 by officials from Taos Pueblo, the State of New Mexico and other interested water rights owners in the Taos area. It quantifies Taos Pueblo's water rights and also protects the interests of local acequias, the Town of Taos, and other water users.
The bill also contains the Aamodt Litigation Settlement Act, which codifies the 2006 agreement entered into between the Pueblos, the State, Santa Fe County, and non-Indian water rights owners in the Pojoaque Valley. The legislation resolves the water rights claims of the Pueblos in the Rio Pojoaque stream system and authorizes the construction of a regional water system in Santa Fe County that will benefit Pueblo and non-Pueblo residents.
In addition to codifying the Aamodt and Taos settlements, the bill includes $147.8 million to begin implementing them now and authorizes an additional $150.5 million to fully implement them in the years to come.
"The Aamodt and Abeyta settlements represent fair and reasonable conclusions to protracted, contentious litigation. They are the product of countless hours of hard work and determination. I am grateful to those who worked on these issues for decades and to the many others who made these settlements possible," said Bingaman who attended today's signing ceremony.
"The signing of these landmark settlements into law marks the culmination of decades of work by a wide range of people - all of whom deserve our sincere congratulations and thanks for their dedication to this effort," Udall said. "The importance of water rights in an arid state like ours cannot be overstated and I am pleased that Congress and the President have recognized their importance for the people in our state."
Specifically, the measure includes $66 million to purchase water rights and construct a number of projects to help improve water use efficiency, groundwater management, and water quality in the Taos Valley. The Pueblo will use its funding to assist with management of its water resources as specified in the settlement. The measure authorizes an additional $58 million in future spending, subject to the appropriations process to fully implement the settlement. The State of New Mexico is expected to contribute approximately $20 million to the effort.
Separately, the bill contains $81.8 million toward the implementation of the Aamodt settlement; it will be used to construct of a water system in the Pojaoque Valley that will serve Pueblo and non-Pueblo residents. An additional $92.5 million has been authorized for the project, also subject to the appropriations process. The State of New Mexico and County of Santa Fe will contribute approximately $117 million toward the cost of the water system and settlement implementation.
Finally, the bill sets aside $180 million to implement a third water settlement that was approved by Congress last year, and which provides for the construction of the Navajo-Gallup pipeline. As a result, hundreds of jobs will be created.
The legislation was included in a package of bills that also settled Native American water rights claims in Montana and Arizona and resolved the United States' outstanding liability obligations to tribal members across the nation in the Cobell litigation and for farmers in the Pigford litigation.
