Jeff Bingaman: “today I am introducing a bill entitled the Mescalero Apache Tribe Leasing Authorization Act to allow the Mescalero…”

“today I am introducing a bill entitled the Mescalero Apache Tribe Leasing Authorization Act to allow the Mescalero Apache Tribe in New Mexico to lease certain adjudicated water rights to other communities in need of water. My colleague Senator Tom Udall is co-sponsoring this measure and I am looking forward to working with him on this issue. As competition for limited water supplies increases and water supplies become more uncertain as a result of a changing climate, more flexibility in water management strategies is essential. This bill will enable the Mescalero Apache Tribe to lease certain unused water rights adjudicated to the Tribe to other communities in New Mexico that have significant water needs. Through this bill, communities including the Village of Ruidoso, the Village of Cloudcroft and the City of Alamogordo would be able to negotiate with the Mescalero Apache Tribe to lease water through a process overseen by the New Mexico State Engineer. These mutually beneficial transactions will provide additional water to communities in times of need and will provide economic benefits to the Tribe. Allowing these types of transactions to occur will also help to strengthen the relationship between Indian and non-Indian communities that co-exist in many parts of New Mexico. This bill will greatly benefit the Mescalero Apache Tribe and its surrounding neighbors and it is my hope that my colleagues will ultimately support its enactment.”