S. 886

Indian Water Rights Settlement Extension Act

This bill ratifies and modifies various agreements related to tribal water rights and contains other related provisions.

The bill ratifies an agreement relating to the settlement of the Aamodt litigation, which resolved claims concerning Pueblo water resources. The bill also reauthorizes through FY2028 activities to construct a regional water system as part of that settlement. Specifically, the bill ratifies an agreement between the United States, New Mexico, the city of Santa Fe, and the Pueblos of Nambe, Pojoaque, San Ildefonso, and Tesuque relating to the litigation. (This agreement is in addition to previously ratified agreements settling the litigation.)

The bill also ratifies and modifies the Navajo Utah Water Rights Settlement Agreement negotiated between the Navajo Nation, the United States, and Utah. That 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 Department of the Interior shall establish and manage the Navajo Utah Settlement Trust Fund, with amounts available for withdrawal by the Navajo Nation for Navajo water development projects.

The bill specifies waivers and releases that must be executed in order for the Navajo settlement to be binding and effective.

The bill also authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense to enter arrangements for the sharing of medical facilities and services with urban Indian organizations.