Sponsors (3)
Introduced February 13, 2025 by Teresa Leger Fernandez · Last progress February 13, 2025
The bill secures legally protected water rights and hundreds of millions in trust funding to deliver tangible water infrastructure and legal finality for several Pueblos, at the cost of large federal expenditures, broad waivers of past claims, increased federal oversight, and narrower legal remedies for some parties.
Indigenous Pueblo communities (Acoma, Laguna, Jemez, Zia and other tribal-lands residents) receive substantial, legally dedicated federal trust funds and appropriations — hundreds of millions of dollars — to build and operate water projects and secure long-term water supplies.
Pueblo water rights are confirmed as federally held in trust and protected from loss by non‑use, forfeiture, or abandonment, preserving tribal water access and legal status long-term.
Tribal communities gain immediate and targeted infrastructure funding (wells, project development, engineering, O&M, watershed protection) and structured trust management to implement water projects that improve local water supply and community welfare.
All U.S. taxpayers absorb large federal outlays to fund the settlements and trust accounts (hundreds of millions), which increases federal spending and could crowd out other priorities or face political resistance.
Pueblos must waive extensive historical and certain pre‑enforcement claims (and some related releases extend to non‑Pueblo parties), foregoing potential future compensation or remedies for past harms.
Trust fund withdrawals, water withdrawals, and many project actions require Secretary approval and adherence to federal plans and certification processes, which may delay projects and limit tribal control over timing and use of funds.
Based on analysis of 6 sections of legislative text.
Ratifies and requires federal implementation of two negotiated Pueblo water-rights settlements, defines Pueblo water rights and trust funds, and authorizes funds to carry out the settlements.
Ratifies and implements two negotiated water-rights settlements that resolve Pueblo claims in the Rio San José (Acoma and Laguna Pueblos) and Jemez River (Jemez and Zia Pueblos) stream systems. It requires the Secretary of the Interior to execute the settlement agreements, establishes defined Pueblo water rights and trust funds, authorizes funds for implementation, and sets limited rules for state-court review of certain Pueblo water-permit decisions while preserving federal court jurisdiction over the overall adjudications. The legislation also defines key terms, confirms partial final judgments and decrees in the pending state adjudications, preserves existing rights of other parties, does not waive sovereign immunity, and conditions federal performance on Congress providing adequate appropriations.