To approve the settlement of water rights claims of the Pueblos of Acoma and Laguna in the Rio San José Stream System and the Pueblos of Jemez and Zia in the Rio Jemez Stream System in the State of New Mexico, and for other purposes.
Analysis under review: This bill has generated analysis that may be too generic or incomplete. Clause-level evidence remains available below.
Summary
What This Bill Does
The bill establishes the purposes of the Rio San Jose Stream System water rights settlement for the Pueblos of Acoma and Laguna, authorizing the Secretary of the Interior to execute the agreement and appropriating funds, defines key terms for the Rio San Jose water rights settlement, including Acequia, Pueblo Water Rights, Pueblo Land, and establishes that the Secretary refers to the Secretary of the Interior, and requires ratifies and confirms the Rio San Jose water rights settlement agreement, directing the Secretary of the Interior to execute it while ensuring compliance with NEPA and Endangered Species Act, with environmental. It relies on appropriations, definition changes, compliance mandates, and liability protections. The main policy areas are Water Rights, Agriculture, and Housing.
Who Benefits and How
United States Government could face reduced risk, Pueblo of Zia could gain revenue opportunities, and Pueblo of Laguna could gain revenue opportunities.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Department of the Interior would take on compliance duties, Pueblos of Jemez and Zia would take on compliance duties, and Pueblos of Acoma and Laguna would take on compliance duties.
Key Provisions
- Establishes the purposes of the Rio San Jose Stream System water rights settlement for the Pueblos of Acoma and Laguna, authorizing the Secretary of the Interior to execute the agreement and appropriating funds...
- Defines key terms for the Rio San Jose water rights settlement, including Acequia, Pueblo Water Rights, Pueblo Land, and establishes that the Secretary refers to the Secretary of the Interior.
- Requires ratifies and confirms the Rio San Jose water rights settlement agreement, directing the Secretary of the Interior to execute it while ensuring compliance with NEPA and Endangered Species Act, with environmental...
- Establishes that Pueblo Water Rights shall be held in trust by the United States and protected from loss through non-use, forfeiture, or abandonment, with Pueblos authorized to lease and allocate water rights on and off...
- Establishes three trust funds (Pueblo of Acoma, Pueblo of Laguna, and Acomita Reservoir Works) with specific accounts for water rights, infrastructure operations/maintenance, and feasibility studies.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
The bill establishes the purposes of the Rio San Jose Stream System water rights settlement for the Pueblos of Acoma and Laguna, authorizing the Secretary of the Interior to execute the agreement and appropriating funds, defines key terms for the Rio San Jose water rights settlement, including Acequia, Pueblo Water Rights, Pueblo Land, and establishes that the Secretary refers to the Secretary of the Interior, and requires ratifies and confirms the Rio San Jose water rights settlement agreement, directing the Secretary of the Interior to execute it while ensuring compliance with NEPA and Endangered Species Act, with environmental.
Key Policy Areas
Water Rights, Agriculture, Housing
Primary Purpose
The bill establishes the purposes of the Rio San Jose Stream System water rights settlement for the Pueblos of Acoma and Laguna, authorizing the Secretary of the Interior to execute the agreement and appropriating funds, defines key terms for the Rio San Jose water rights settlement, including Acequia, Pueblo Water Rights, Pueblo Land, and establishes that the Secretary refers to the Secretary of the Interior, and requires ratifies and confirms the Rio San Jose water rights settlement agreement, directing the Secretary of the Interior to execute it while ensuring compliance with NEPA and Endangered Species Act, with environmental.
Policy Domains
Title I - Rio San Jose Stream System Water Rights Settlement
Identified Gains
- United States Government
- Pueblo of Zia
- Pueblo of Laguna
- Pueblo of Jemez
- Pueblo of Acoma
Identified Costs
- Department of the Interior
- Pueblos of Jemez and Zia
- Pueblos of Acoma and Laguna
- Federal taxpayers
- State of New Mexico taxpayers
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMs. Leger Fernandez (for herself and Ms. Stansbury) introduced the …
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Department of the Interior, Pueblo of Acoma, Pueblo of Jemez
Pueblos of Acoma and Laguna, Pueblos of Jemez and Zia face effects in multiple directions
Positive-direction: Pueblo of Acoma, Pueblo of Jemez, Pueblo of Laguna, Pueblo of Zia, United States Government
Negative-direction: Department of the Interior
Jemez River Basin Water Users Coalition acequias, Non-Pueblo water users seeking permits, Parties to the Agreement (non-Pueblo water users)
City of Grants and Village of Milan, State of New Mexico
Positive-direction: City of Grants and Village of Milan
Negative-direction: State of New Mexico
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_state"
- → State of New Mexico
- "the_pueblos"
- → Pueblo of Acoma and Pueblo of Laguna
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of the Interior
- "the_state"
- → State of New Mexico
- "the_pueblos"
- → Pueblo of Jemez and Pueblo of Zia
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of the Interior
Note: 'The Pueblos' refers to Acoma and Laguna in Title I, but Jemez and Zia in Title II
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
Each of the Bluewater Toltec Irrigation District, La Acequia Madre del Ojo del Gallo, Moquino Water Users Association II, Murray Acres Irrigation Association, San Mateo Irrigation Association, Seboyeta Community Irrigation Association, Cubero Acequia Association, Cebolletita Acequia Association, and Community Ditch of San Jose de la Cienega
The Rio San Jose Stream System Water Rights Local Settlement Agreement Among the Pueblo of Acoma, the Pueblo of Laguna, the Navajo Nation, the State of New Mexico, and other parties, dated May 13, 2022
Real property in the Rio San Jose, Rio Salado, or Rio Puerco systems held by the United States in trust for the Pueblos or owned by the Pueblos
The general adjudication of water rights entitled State of New Mexico, ex rel. State Engineer v. Kerr-McGee, et al., pending in the Thirteenth Judicial District Court
The Pueblo of Acoma Settlement Trust Fund, the Pueblo of Laguna Settlement Trust Fund, and the Acomita Reservoir Works Trust Fund
The date on which the Secretary publishes in the Federal Register a statement of findings that all conditions for settlement implementation have been met
The respective water rights of the Pueblos in the Rio San Jose Stream System, Rio Salado Basin, and Rio Puerco Basin as identified in the Agreement and confirmed in Partial Final Judgment and Decree
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology