On the recordNovember 30, 2010
I am very happy to rise in strong support and approval of H.R. 4783. Title III through VI settle the water rights claims for seven tribes and pueblos in the States of Arizona, New Mexico and Montana. In the case of the five New Mexico pueblos, this legislation would end a combined total of 84 years of protracted, divisive and expensive litigation. This litigation is fully paid for, as has been stated repeatedly. Most of these settlements involve either the rehabilitation of facilities or the design and construction of much-needed drinking water systems. Having an offset for the entire cost of this litigation allows for project construction to start earlier and to stay on schedule, save money, ultimately saving taxpayers millions of dollars in construction costs that are subject to inflation increases. In the case of White Mountain Apache and the Miner Flat Project, it is estimated that these savings are as much as $7 million annually. The scarcity of water in the West and a long-running effort to meet the needs of the tribal communities has required compromise and development of trust in the process. The tribes have negotiated in good faith and ultimately have settled for water rights that is far less than what their initial claims asserted in their litigation against the United States.
