Sponsors (2)
Introduced January 13, 2026 by Mark Edward Kelly · Last progress January 13, 2026
The bill trades substantial federal funding, clearly defined water allocations, and new drinking‑water infrastructure that provide the Yavapai‑Apache Nation and regional communities with water certainty and health benefits, against large taxpayer costs, limits on tribal legal claims and remedies, constrained local tax revenues, reduced environmental review, and caps/restrictions that limit future flexibility.
Yavapai‑Apache Nation members and the Nation receive a legally ratified, final water-rights settlement that clarifies entitlements and resolves many claims, enabling long‑term planning and development.
Residents and local governments in Yavapai County and the region gain major, dedicated federal funding (including large appropriations for the Cragin‑Verde Pipeline and tribal drinking/wastewater projects) to build water supply and wastewater infrastructure.
Yavapai‑Apache Nation communities receive new and expanded drinking‑water treatment and delivery infrastructure (treatment plant, pipeline, and system conveyance) that materially improves drinking‑water reliability and public health for tribal residents.
Members of the Yavapai‑Apache Nation give up broad categories of historical and future water‑rights claims and accept narrow remedies in many cases, which limits future legal recourse, compensation opportunities, and tribal leverage in water disputes.
American taxpayers face large federal outlays to fund the projects (over $1 billion in named appropriations and reimbursements), with indexing and repricing authorities that can raise final program costs and increase federal obligations over time.
Provisions that expedite planning, limit some NEPA review (labeling implementation as not a 'major Federal action'), and front‑load project startup risk compressed environmental, cultural, and historic review and could accelerate construction with local environmental impacts.
Based on analysis of 32 sections of legislative text.
Provides hundreds of millions in mandatory Treasury transfers to build and fund a two-part water infrastructure project (a Cragin‑Verde pipeline and a Yavapai‑Apache Nation drinking water system), creates a multi-account trust fund for long‑term water and watershed priorities, and settles and confirms water rights for the Yavapai‑Apache Nation. The measure also takes identified parcels into trust for the Nation, requires the Secretary of the Interior and the Bureau of Reclamation to plan/construct the projects, establishes a permanent CAP water delivery contract and leasing rules for YAN CAP water, and conditions final enforceability on the Secretary’s publication of specified findings (the “Enforceability Date”), with a backstop repeal date if those findings are not published by June 30, 2035.