Tom Udall: “S. 2917, the Santo Domingo Pueblo Claims Settlement Act, sponsored by Senators Domenici and Inouye, settles certain…”

“S. 2917, the Santo Domingo Pueblo Claims Settlement Act, sponsored by Senators Domenici and Inouye, settles certain outstanding land claims by the Santo Domingo Pueblo, located between Albuquerque and Santa Fe, New Mexico. I am the cosponsor of the House companion, H.R. 5374. As such, I recognize the importance of this legislation for the Pueblo people, the citizens of New Mexico, and the Federal Government. For years, the Pueblo of Santo Domingo has been asserting claims to lands within its aboriginal use area in north central New Mexico. The claims have been subject to numerous lawsuits, and a certain number of them remain unresolved. For example, the Pueblo has asserted a claim to 25,000 acres of land based on the Pueblo's purchase in 1748 of the Diego Gallegos Land Grant. The Pueblo possesses the original deed reflecting the purchase under Spanish law; but, after the United States assumed sovereignty over New Mexico, titles to land, including the Pueblo's title to these lands, were never confirmed by the Federal Government. Many of these lands were later treated as public domain with title being claimed by Federal agencies, the New Mexico Land Commission, other Indian tribes, and numerous private parties. Litigation is currently pending over these issues to resolve the land and trespass claims of the Pueblo of Santo Domingo. Such action would be expected to take many years, with the outcome of such litigation unclear.”