Nick Rahall: “Passage of the pending measure will resolve a longstanding dispute between the Jicarilla Apache Nation and the county of…”

“Passage of the pending measure will resolve a longstanding dispute between the Jicarilla Apache Nation and the county of Rio Arriba in New Mexico over a disputed road. The tribe and the county have agreed to a settlement which requires the approval of Congress in order to become effective. Under this settlement agreement, the tribe will transfer 70.5 acres of land located within its expanded 1988 reservation to the county. In exchange, the county will abandon any and all claims to the disputed road. I would like to commend our colleague from New Mexico for his super leadership and determination, Mr. Tom Udall, for bringing this bill before us today. Some of the more difficult and contentious issues that we deal with are those of property lines and jurisdictions of towns, private landowners and Indian tribes. Mr. Udall has never shied away from such matters when they affect the Indian tribes of New Mexico, and I commend him. I urge my colleagues to support its passage.”