Taos Pueblo Indian Water Rights Settlement Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. LUJÁN. I rise today in support of H.R. 3254, the Taos Pueblo Water Rights Settlement Act. Before I begin, I would like to thank Chairman Rahall and Chairwoman Napolitano for the stewardship of all three settlement bills we are considering on the House floor today, which are such an important part in meeting the water needs of the people in my district.

Mr. Speaker, it's taken nearly three decades of work by so many New Mexicans for me to be able to stand here today and address this body about the critical issue of water management and water security in my State. I'd like to thank all the tribal leaders and community members who have repeatedly traveled from Taos to Washington, across New Mexico, to work on this legislation throughout the years. Generation after generation, Mr. Speaker, people have been coming together to try to find resolution to benefit the community, to save taxpayers money, to prevent costly litigation from moving forward through the Federal court system.

As we consider these water settlements today, we should remember that behind this legislative language, the procedural necessities, and the committee reports, these bills are about the basic human need and water. These settlements are the fulfillment of a promise made by the United States. Let me repeat that, Mr. Speaker. These settlements are the fulfillment of a promise made by the United States to its people, tribal and nontribal alike, that their water needs would be met. The preservation of the ancient culture of the Taos Pueblo as well as the future of the modern Taos community depend upon the passage of this legislation.

Let me give you a little history about this settlement and why it's so important to pass this legislation today. The legal proceedings that led to the Taos Pueblo Indian Water Rights Settlement, also known by my constituents as the Abeyta settlement, began in 1969 by the New Mexico State Engineer. The State Engineer's office in New Mexico is charged with the distribution and management of water resources in our State. The litigation continued until 1989, when the negotiations of the Abeyta settlement began. It has taken until today for these negotiations to reach a point where it could be possible to enact this settlement into law to resolve the water allocation between tribal and nontribal community members in the Taos area.

This legislation will bring to a close decades of litigation and uncertainty with regard to water resources for the people of my district. The passage of this legislation will bring security to water users in Taos by making water available for future generations and ensure that this valuable resource is protected. H.R. 3254 quantifies and protects Taos Pueblo's water and provides further security for water users of the town of Taos and many other non-Indian water users, including existing individual domestic wells. They are all provided safeguards for their use of water under this agreement.

The work that has been done between all the settlement parties and the Federal Government is truly a testament to the necessity of passing this legislation and the willingness of people to come together to protect the water resources that are so valuable to this community. Without this settlement, the future water availability for the people of Taos and Taos Pueblo will be uncertain and possibly disastrous.

Mr. Speaker, as we come today and we hear some of the concerns about moving this legislation forward, the uncertainty that will exist with Federal litigation and the possible costs and problems that could be passed on to taxpayers is something that this litigation will not only add to, but that this settlement will help resolve. I certainly hope that my colleagues from both sides of the aisle, that Members of this Chamber truly see the importance of us working together and making sure that we support people coming together to prevent costly and expensive litigation from moving forward, to do what is right, especially when it comes to the basic necessity and the valuable resource of water.

I urge you to support this bill, and I ask that we help protect the water resources of the people of the Third Congressional District.

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