A bill to declare that the United States holds certain lands in trust for the Pueblo de Cochiti.
PL 98-344 (S.2403), enacted 07/09/1984

PUBLIC LAW 98-344—JULY 9, 1984 
98 STAT. 315 
Public Law 98-344 
98th Congress 
An Act 
To declare that the United States holds certain lands in trust for the Pueblo de 
Cochiti. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled. That all right, title, 
and interest of the United States in the lands described in section 2 
(including all improvements thereon and appurtenances thereto) are 
declared to be held in trust by the United States for the Pueblo de 
Cochiti (hereinafter in this Act referred to as "the Pueblo"), subject 
to the provisions of sections 3 and 7. 
SEC. 2. The lands referred to in the first section are the lands— 
(1) situated in the counties of Sandoval and Santa Fe in the 
State of New Mexico, 
(2) known as the Santa Cruz Spring tract, 
(3) described on page 6 of the report of Milford T. Keene, Land 
Surveyor, Southern Pueblos Agency, Bureau of Indian Affairs, 
Albuquerque, New Mexico, dated February 26,1981, and 
(4) recorded in the files of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, 
Southern Pueblos Agency. 
SEC. 3. Nothing in this Act shall be construed to deprive any 
individual or entity of any legal existing right-of-way, legal mining 
claim, legal grazing permit, legal water right, or other legal right or 
legal interest such individual or entity may have in the lands 
described in section 2. 
SEC. 4. Before the end of the one-year period beginning on the date 
of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Interior (hereinafter 
in this Act referred to as the "Secretary") shall— 
(1) conduct a cadastral survey of the lands described in 
section 2, 
(2) make any correction in the description of such lands which 
is necessary as a result of such survey, and 
(3) publish any such correction in the Federal Register. 
SEC. 5. The lands which are declared to be held in trust by the 
Secretary pursuant to the first section shall be part of the Pueblo 
Reservation and shall be subject to the laws and rules of law of the 
United States relating to Indian lands. Such lands shall not be 
developed for any use other than a use in existence on the date of 
enactment of this Act. 
SEC. 6. (a) Nonmembers of the Pueblo who, on the date of enact-
ment of this Act, are permittees of lands described in section 2 of 
this Act shall be given the opportunity to renew their permits under 
rules and regulations of the Secretary to the same extent and in the 
same manner that such permits could have been renewed if this Act 
had not been enacted, subject to the provisions of subsection (b) of 
this section. 
(b) Permits renewed under subsection (a) of this section shall 
expire upon the death of the permittee or within thirty years of the 
date of enactment of this Act, whichever occurs later: Provided, 
July 9, 1984 
[S. 2403] 
New Mexico. 
Indians. 
Survey. 
Federal 
Register, 
publication. 
98 STAT. 316 
PUBLIC LAW 98-344—JULY 9, 1984 
That, if the permittee dies within thirty years of the date of enact-
ment of this Act, his spouse or children may assume the permit for 
the balance of the thirty-year period upon notice to the Pueblo and 
the Bureau of Indian Affairs. 
. v^, . • 
(c) If the Pueblo obtains the relinquishment of grazing permits in 
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the Caja del Rio allotment in the Santa Fe National Forest for that 
number of animal unit months equal to the number of animal unit 
months provided under permit by the United States Forest Service 
-i' • 
as of the date of enactment of this Act within that portion of Caja 
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del Rio allotment which overlaps the Santa Cruz Spring tract, then 
the remaining permittees in the Caja del Rio allotment shall have 
no further interest in the Santa Cruz Spring tract and no further 
right to renew their permits within said tract. The remaining 
permittees of the Caja del Rio allotment shall suffer no diminution 
of their grazing rights within that portion of the Caja del Rio 
allotment which does not overlap the Santa Cruz Spring tract. 
(d) After the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall 
deposit any and all fees paid by permittees under existing or re-
newed permits for grazing animal unit months on the Santa Cruz 
Spring tract into the Treasury of the United States to the credit of 
the Pueblo. 
(e) The Pueblo may obtain the relinquishment of any or all of the 
permits in the Santa Cruz Spring tract, or as provided in subsection 
(c) of this section, in the Caja del Rio allotment under such terms 
and conditions as may be mutually agreeable. In consideration of 
such relinquishments, the Pueblo is authorized to grant leases, 
permits, or licenses for agricultural or grazing purposes to existing 
permittees in lands presently part of the Pueblo Reservation or 
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added thereto pursuant to section 5 of this Act, subject to the 
approval of the Secretary for terms not to exceed fifty years. The 
Secretary is authorized to disburse from tribal funds in the Treasury 
of the United States to the credit of the Pueblo so much thereof as 
may be necessary to pay for such relinquishments and for the 
purchase of any rights or improvements on said lands owned by 
nonmembers of the Pueblo. The authority to pay for relinquishment 
of a permit pursuant to this subsection shall not be regarded as a 
recognition of any property right of the permittee in the land or its 
resources. 
SEC. 7. Until such time as the Cochiti Lake Project is deauthorized 
by the Congress, the Secretary shall give full recognition to all 
interests in lands acquired by the Department of the Army through 
fee acquisition and under Memorandums of Agreement with the 
Departments of Agriculture, Interior, and Energy, the University of 
New Mexico, and the Pueblo de Cochiti, for the operation and 
maintenance of Cochiti Lake on a portion of the lands herein 
declared in trust. 
SEC. 8. The Secretary shall recognize and grant necessary ease-
ments for access on lands described in section 2 of this Act for the 
following purposes: 
(1) Access to recreational sites maintained by the United 
States. 
(2) Access to parcels of land owned by private parties. 
(3) Access to lands subject to valid permits as necessary to 
allow the permittees to exercise rights granted in such permits. 
The fees charged for any valid utility right-of-way or easement shall 
not be greater than the current Federal rate for such an easement. 
PUBLIC LAW 98-344—JULY 9, 1984 
98 STAT. 317 
SEC. 9. The water rights appurtenant to the lands described in 
Water rights. 
section 2 shall be those water rights existing under State law on the 
date of enactment of this Act. Nothing in this Act shall be construed 
to create or convey any water rights other than those existing under 
State law on the date of enactment of this Act. 
Approved July 9, 1984. 
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LEGISLATIVE HISTORY—S. 2403 (H.R. 3259): 
HOUSE REPORT No. 98-421 accompanying H.R. 3259 (Comm. on Interior and Insular 
Affairs). 
SENATE REPORT No. 98-409 (Select Comm. on Indian Affairs). 
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD: 
Vol. 129 (1983): Nov. 7, 1983, H.R. 3259 considered and passed House. 
Vol. 130 (1984): May 10, S. 2403 considered and passed Senate. 
June 21, S. 2403 considered and passed House.