Amending the White Mountain Apache Tribe Water Rights Quantification Act of 2010

Floor Speech

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Mr. McCLINTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 2850) to amend the White Mountain Apache Tribe Water Rights Quantification Act of 2010 to clarify the use of amounts in the WMAT Settlement Fund.

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The Claims Resolution Act of 2010 included four Indian water rights settlements. Title III of the act resolved the White Mountain Apache Tribes' water-related claims against the United States, the State of Arizona, and a number of other State and non-Federal parties.

In consideration for the Tribe's waiving its water-related claims against the United States and other parties, the act authorized funding for the construction of the White Mountain Apache rural water system to bring safe and reliable drinking water to the Tribe and to its members. Specifically, the rural water system will consist of a dam and reservoir, a treatment plant, and 55 miles of pipeline to serve the community.

The act also established the creation of the White Mountain Apache Tribal settlement fund that can be used to cover any cost overruns for the system and water-related economic development projects. The rural water system will serve a number of water-related activities that fit squarely with the settlement fund's authorized purposes.

To ensure the completion of the Tribe's rural water system, S. 2850 makes a technical amendment to the Claims Resolution Act to clarify that the Tribe may utilize funding from the settlement fund for planning, design, and conduction activities related to construction of the rural water system.

The bill also clarifies the 99-year lease authority for the Pueblo of Santa Clara and the Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo in New Mexico. The Indian Long-Term Leasing Act allows Indians to lease their lands subject to the approval of the Secretary of the Interior for public, religious, educational, recreational, residential, or business purposes of up to 25 years. Congress has amended the ILTLA more than 40 times to adjust the terms and conditions of Indian land leases, including the authorization of 99-year leases for lands held in trust for the Pueblo Santa Clara and the Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo of New Mexico.

S. 2850 clarifies that this 99-year lease authority also extends to lands in restricted deed status. These are lands held by a Tribe or individual Indians subject to a limitation on alienation or taxation.

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Mr. McCLINTOCK. Mr. Speaker, as you have heard, this bill irons out a lot of problems with the settlement and clears the way for hopefully a very productive project.

Mr. Speaker, I urge its adoption, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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