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wealth to reach a settlement for all past due sums set forth
in the analysis as well as other sums, such as excise taxes
and other collections applicable in or to the Commonwealth.
Any settlement shall be conditioned on the Commonwealth
executing a full and final release of any and all claims
under section 703(b) of the Covenant and submission of a
plan for the expenditure of all funds for essential infrastruc-
ture for education and water.
TITLE 
VIII—UNITED 
STATES-
MEXICO 
TRANSBOUNDARY
AQUIFER ASSESSMENT
SEC. 801. SHORT TITLE.
This title may be cited as the ‘‘United States-Mexico
Transboundary Aquifer Assessment Act’’.
SEC. 802. PURPOSE.
The purpose of this title is to direct the Secretary of
the 
Interior 
to 
establish 
a 
United 
States-Mexico
transboundary aquifer assessment program to—
(1) systematically assess priority transboundary
aquifers; and
(2) provide the scientific foundation necessary
for State and local officials to address pressing water
resource challenges in the United States-Mexico border
region.
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SEC. 803. DEFINITIONS.
In this title:
(1) AQUIFER.—The term ‘‘aquifer’’ means a sub-
surface water-bearing geologic formation from which
significant quantities of water may be extracted.
(2) BORDER STATE.—The term ‘‘Border State’’
means each of the States of Arizona, California, New
Mexico, and Texas.
(3) INDIAN
TRIBE.—The term ‘‘Indian tribe’’
means an Indian tribe, band, nation, or other orga-
nized group or community—
(A) that is recognized as eligible for the spe-
cial programs and services provided by the
United States to Indians because of their status
as Indians; and
(B) the reservation of which includes a
transboundary aquifer within the exterior bound-
aries of the reservation.
(4) PRIORITY
TRANSBOUNDARY
AQUIFER.—The
term ‘‘priority transboundary aquifer’’ means a
transboundary aquifer that has been designated for
study and analysis under the program.
(5) PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘program’’ means the
United States-Mexico transboundary aquifer assess-
ment program established under section 804(a).
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(6) 
RESERVATION.—The 
term 
‘‘reservation’’
means land that has been set aside or that has been
acknowledged as having been set aside by the United
States for the use of an Indian tribe, the exterior
boundaries of which are more particularly defined in
a final tribal treaty, agreement, executive order, Fed-
eral statute, secretarial order, or judicial determina-
tion.
(7) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means
the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Di-
rector of the United States Geological Survey.
(8) 
TRANSBOUNDARY
AQUIFER.—The 
term
‘‘transboundary aquifer’’ means an aquifer that
underlies the boundary between the United States and
Mexico.
(9) TRI-REGIONAL PLANNING GROUP.—The term
‘‘Tri-Regional Planning Group’’ means the binational
planning group comprised of—
(A) the Junta Municipal de Agua y
Saneamiento de Ciudad Juarez;
(B) the El Paso Water Utilities Public
Service Board; and
(C) the Lower Rio Grande Water Users Or-
ganization.
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(10) WATER
RESOURCES
RESEARCH
INSTI-
TUTES.—The term ‘‘water resources research insti-
tutes’’ means the institutes within the Border States
established under section 104 of the Water Resources
Research Act of 1984 (42 U.S.C. 10303).
SEC. 804. ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM.
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, in consultation and
cooperation with the Border States, the water resources re-
search institutes, Sandia National Laboratories, and other
appropriate entities in the United States and Mexico, shall
carry out the United States-Mexico transboundary aquifer
assessment program to characterize, map, and model
transboundary groundwater resources along the United
States-Mexico border at a level of detail determined to be
appropriate for the particular aquifer.
(b) OBJECTIVES.—The objectives of the program are
to—
(1) develop and implement an integrated sci-
entific approach to assess transboundary groundwater
resources, including—
(A)(i) 
identifying 
fresh 
and 
saline
transboundary aquifers; and
(ii) prioritizing the transboundary aquifers
for further analysis by assessing—
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(I) the proximity of the transboundary
aquifer to areas of high population density;
(II) 
the 
extent 
to 
which 
the
transboundary aquifer is used;
(III) 
the 
susceptibility 
of 
the
transboundary aquifer to contamination;
and
(IV) any other relevant criteria;
(B) evaluating all available data and publi-
cations as part of the development of study plans
for each priority transboundary aquifer;
(C) creating a new, or enhancing an exist-
ing, geographic information system database to
characterize the spatial and temporal aspects of
each priority transboundary aquifer; and
(D) using field studies, including support
for and expansion of ongoing monitoring and
metering efforts, to develop—
(i) the additional data necessary to
adequately define aquifer characteristics;
and
(ii) scientifically sound groundwater
flow models to assist with State and local
water management and administration, in-
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cluding modeling of relevant groundwater
and surface water interactions;
(2) expand existing agreements, as appropriate,
between the United States Geological Survey, the Bor-
der States, the water resources research institutes, and
appropriate authorities in the United States and
Mexico, to—
(A) conduct joint scientific investigations;
(B) archive and share relevant data; and
(C) carry out any other activities consistent
with the program; and
(3) produce scientific products for each priority
transboundary aquifer that—
(A) are capable of being broadly distributed;
and
(B) provide the scientific information need-
ed by water managers and natural resource
agencies on both sides of the United States-Mex-
ico border to effectively accomplish the missions
of the managers and agencies.
(c) DESIGNATION
OF
PRIORITY
TRANSBOUNDARY
AQUIFERS.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—For purposes of the program,
the 
Secretary 
shall 
designate 
as 
priority
transboundary aquifers—