Thank you very much, Mr. Martinez.

Thank you very much, Madame Chair and Ranking Member McClintock.

Mr. Lujan. Commissioner Montoya, could you touch upon the last series of questions there?

The United States owes not only a federal trust obligation to these pueblos to protect the water rights of the Acequias and their members.

These bills before the Subcommittee today are the result of years of hard work; respectively, 40 and 43 years.

I want to commend the local, state, and Pueblo governments for all their dedication to finding a solution that meets each community's needs.

The Aamodt Litigation Settlement Act would settle an even older water rights lawsuit--in fact, this is the oldest active case in the federal court system.

What exactly is the Federal trust responsibility to the tribes regarding water?

I thank Chairwoman Napolitano, Ranking Member McClintock, members of the Subcommittee on Water and Power...

I would echo your comments, both in terms of the appropriate use of eminent domain.

Just a few quick questions.

So if the settlement was adopted, would it protect non-Indian water users in the Valley?

I wonder if the settlement doesn't constitute an unconstitutional taking.

It would be a very unfortunate outcome if those people were told 'no, you cannot connect--this is a Pueblo-only system.'

These settlements will protect water resources, advance the implementation of effective water management, and ensure future access to water resources for all residents located in the areas of northern New Mexico encompassed by these…

We feel that although the Administration might not yet be fully satisfied with these settlements, we firmly believe that these settlements... represent our best and exhaustive effort to reach compromises.

This Settlement Act represents a compromise and a guarantee of future allocations that costly litigation could never achieve.

I strongly urge the Subcommittee to take favorable action on the Taos Pueblo Indian Water Rights Settlement Act.