Political Quotes

“Mr. President, on behalf of Senator McCain and myself I am pleased to introduced S. 2503, the Bill Williams River Water Rights Settlement Act of 2014. This measure would confirm important water rights claims of the Hualapai Tribe to water in the Bill Williams River watershed; provide protections for the Tribe's culturally significant springs in that area; secure a non-federal contribution toward a future settlement of the Tribe's claims in other river basins; provide certainty for continued water use by the Freeport Minerals Corporation, Freeport, at the Bagdad Mine complex and townsite; and facilitate the transfer of a portion of land known as Planet Ranch for use in the Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program or MSCP. It would do all of this without any new spending authorizations. Water users in Arizona have a long history of pro-actively addressing complex water challenges. Among the State's many accomplishments is the resolution, in whole or in part, of water rights claims asserted by 13 of the State's 22 federally recognized Indian tribes. This measure would carry forward that strong tradition by recognizing reserved water rights to a total of 694 acre-feet per year, afy, on three different parcels along the Big Sandy River as well as the Tribe's claims to the Cofer Hot Springs. For non-Indian communities, this legislation would confirm Freeport's right to withdraw 10,055 afy at the Wikieup Wellfield, which serves the Bagdad Mine and townsite.…”