To approve the settlement of the water right claims of the Tule River Tribe, 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
This bill settles long-standing water rights claims between the Tule River Tribe and downstream water users in California. It ratifies a 2007 agreement that defines the Tribe's water rights, authorizes construction of a reservoir, and establishes rules for water sharing. The settlement avoids costly litigation and provides certainty for all parties about water allocation in the South Fork Tule River basin.
Who Benefits and How
The Tule River Tribe receives legally recognized water rights to 5,828 acre-feet per year, $518 million for water development projects including a reservoir, $50 million for ongoing operations and maintenance, and approximately 10,000 acres of land transferred into trust. The Tribe gains long-term water security and economic development potential. Downstream water users (Tule River Association and South Tule Independent Ditch Company) receive certainty about water rights, protection from future tribal claims, and a structured framework for water sharing during droughts and normal periods.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Federal taxpayers fund the $568 million settlement. The Tribe must waive all other water rights claims in California and cannot alienate the tribal water right. The Secretary of Interior assumes ongoing trust fund management and oversight responsibilities.
Key Provisions
- Establishes tribal water right of 5,828 acre-feet annually from South Fork Tule River with priority date of January 9, 1873
- Appropriates $518 million for water development projects and $50 million for operations and maintenance
- Transfers approximately 10,000 acres of federal and tribal fee land into trust for the Tribe
- Requires the Tribe to waive all other water rights claims in California in exchange for settlement benefits
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Settles the water rights claims of the Tule River Tribe in California by ratifying a 2007 agreement, authorizing $568 million in federal funding for water development projects, transferring approximately 10,000 acres of land into trust, and establishing a tribal water right of 5,828 acre-feet annually
Key Policy Areas
Tribal Affairs, Water Resources, Public Lands, Federal Spending
Primary Purpose
Settles the water rights claims of the Tule River Tribe in California by ratifying a 2007 agreement, authorizing $568 million in federal funding for water development projects, transferring approximately 10,000 acres of land into trust, and establishing a tribal water right of 5,828 acre-feet annually
Policy Domains
Tule River Tribe Water Settlement
Identified Gains
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Tule River Tribe
- Downstream water users
- Bureau of Reclamation
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Identified Costs
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Federal taxpayers
- Department of Interior
- Tule River Tribe (waivers)
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMr. Fong introduced the following bill; which was referred to …
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Bureau of Indian Affairs trust management, Bureau of Land Management, Tule River Tribe
Tule River Tribe faces effects in multiple directions
Positive-direction: United States government
Negative-direction: Bureau of Indian Affairs trust management
All settlement parties, Downstream water users in California, Parties to 2007 Agreement
Downstream agricultural water users, Tule River Association members
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_court"
- → U.S. District Court for Eastern District of California
- "the_tribe"
- → Tule River Tribe
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of the Interior
- "downstream_water_users"
- → Tule River Association and South Tule Independent Ditch Company
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
The agreement dated November 21, 2007, as amended, between the Tribe, South Tule Independent Ditch Company, and Tule River Association
The Tule River Association, South Tule Independent Ditch Company, and other holders of water rights in South Fork Tule River Basin
The reservoir described in section 3.4.B of the 2007 Agreement to be constructed for tribal water storage
The federally recognized water right of 5,828 acre-feet per year from South Fork Tule River held in trust for the Tribe
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