Bill > HR1324

This bill establishes a comprehensive water rights settlement for the Navajo Nation in the Rio San José Stream System in New Mexico. It creates a $200.27 million Water Rights Settlement Account and a $23 million Operations and Maintenance Account to help the Navajo Nation develop water infrastructure, protect water resources, and manage water rights. The bill authorizes the Navajo Nation to allocate, distribute, and lease water rights for use on and off Navajo Lands, with certain restrictions. It includes provisions for environmental compliance, judicial review of water use permits, and specifically protects the water rights of individual Native American allotments. The settlement resolves long-standing water rights claims by providing a definitive framework for water use, preventing future litigation, and establishing a trust fund to support water-related infrastructure and community development. The bill also includes provisions for inflation adjustments to the funding and sets an expiration date of July 1, 2030, if certain conditions are not met. Importantly, while the Navajo Nation waives some historical claims against the United States, it retains rights to pursue future claims related to water quality, environmental damage, and water rights in other basins.

Agriculture and Natural Resources

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/1324/all-info