A bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Commissioner of Reclamation, to develop water infrastructure in the Rio Grande Basin, and to approve the settlement of the water rights claims of the Pueblos of Nambe, Pojoaque, San Ildefonso, Tesuque, and Taos.

Bill: 110-s-3381
Sponsor: Sen. Domenici, Pete V. [R-NM]
Introduced: 2008-07-31 in the Senate
Policy area: Native Americans
Subjects: Construction costs
Economics and Public Finance
Environmental Protection
Federal aid to Indians
Government trust funds
Indian claims
Indian water rights
Infrastructure
Minorities
New Mexico
Water Resources Development
Water supply
Watersheds

Summary:
action_date: 2008-07-31
text: 
Aamodt Litigation Settlement Act - Authorizes, ratifies, and confirms the Settlement Agreement dated January 19, 2006, among New Mexico, the Pueblos of Nambe, Pojoaque, San Ildefonso, and Tesuque, the United States, the city of Santa Fe, and Santa Fe County and related agreements.
 
Directs the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Commissioner of Reclamation, to plan, design, and construct a Regional Water System to divert and distribute water to the Pueblos in accordance with the Agreement. Directs the Secretary, for the purpose of providing a reliable supply of water from the System for the Pueblos in accordance with the Agreement, to: (1) acquire rights to specified Nambe reserved water and water acquired by the County; (2) make a specified amount of water available to the Pueblos in accordance with the San Juan-Chama Project Act; and (3) obtain approval to divert such water for the System at points consistent with the Agreement. 
 
Establishes in the Treasury the Aamodt Settlement Pueblos Fund. 
 
Taos Pueblo Indian Water Rights Settlement Act - Authorizes, ratifies, and confirms the Settlement Agreement of March 31, 2006, between the United States, the Taos Pueblo, New Mexico, the Taos Valley Acequia Association and its 55 member ditches, Taos, the El Prado Water and Sanitation District (EPWSD), and the 12 Taos area Mutual Domestic Water Consumers Associations. 
 
Requires water rights to which the Taos Pueblo is entitled under the Partial Final Decree entered in 
New Mexico v. Abeyta and New Mexico v. Arellano
 to be held in trust by the United States. 
 
Directs the Secretary to provide financial assistance to: (1) the Pueblo to construct, replace, or rehabilitate water infrastructure, to protect the environment associated with the Buffalo Pasture area, and to enhance watershed conditions; and (2) eligible non-Pueblo entities for mutual benefits projects in accordance with the Agreement.
 
Establishes in the Treasury a Taos Pueblo Water Development Fund.
 
Authorizes the Pueblo to market its water rights under the Agreement.
 
Directs the Secretary to enter into three repayment contracts by December 31, 2009, for the delivery of specified amounts of San Juan-Chama Project water to the Pueblo, the town of Taos, and EPWSD.
 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2008-09-23
text: Committee on Indian Affairs. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.
action_date: 2008-09-11
text: Committee on Indian Affairs. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 110-678.
action_date: 2008-07-31
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Indian Affairs. (text of measure as introduced: CR S7917-7924)
action_date: 2008-07-31
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S7916-7917)
action_date: 2008-07-31
text: Introduced in Senate