Bill > HR644

Introduced Session

To approve the settlement of the water rights claims of the Navajo Nation in Utah, and for other purposes. This bill ratifies and modifies the Navajo Utah Water Rights Settlement Agreement negotiated between the Navajo Nation, the United States, and Utah. The agreement gives the Navajo Nation the right to use water from sources located within Utah and adjacent to or encompassed within the boundaries of the Navajo Reservation resulting in depletions not to exceed a specified amount annually. The Navajo water rights shall be held in trust by the United States for the use and benefit of Navajo Nation and shall not be subject to forfeiture or abandonment. The Navajo Nation shall have authority to allocate, distribute, and lease the water rights for any use on or off its reservation in accordance with the agreement. The Department of the Interior shall establish and manage the Navajo Utah Settlement Trust Fund, with amounts available for withdrawal by the Navajo Nation for planning, designing, constructing, operating, maintaining, and replacing Navajo water development projects. The bill also specifies waivers and releases that must be executed in order for the settlement to be binding and effective.

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Committee Categories

Rob Bishop (R)*,  John Curtis (R),  Ben Ray Luján (D),  Ben McAdams (D),  Tom O'Halleran (D),  Chris Stewart (R), 

Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 557. (on 12/18/2020)

Official Document