Northeastern Arizona Indian Water Rights Settlement Act of 2025
Summary
What This Bill Does
The bill defines states the purposes of the Act: to achieve final settlement of water rights claims for the Navajo Nation, Hopi Tribe, and San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe, authorize and ratify the Settlement Agreement, provides extensive definitions for terms used in the Act, including reservation boundaries, water rights terms, tribal entities, and key actors, and authorizes, ratifies, and confirms the Northeastern Arizona Indian Water Rights Settlement Agreement. It relies on definition changes, appropriations, exemptions, and procurement rules. The main policy areas are Water Rights, Housing, Energy, and Finance.
Who Benefits and How
Navajo Nation could gain revenue opportunities, Hopi Tribe could gain revenue opportunities, and San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe could gain revenue opportunities.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Federal taxpayers could face higher costs, Secretary of the Interior would take on compliance duties, and Bureau of Reclamation would take on compliance duties.
Key Provisions
- Defines states the purposes of the Act: to achieve final settlement of water rights claims for the Navajo Nation, Hopi Tribe, and San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe, authorize and ratify the Settlement Agreement...
- Provides extensive definitions for terms used in the Act, including reservation boundaries, water rights terms, tribal entities, and key actors.
- Authorizes, ratifies, and confirms the Northeastern Arizona Indian Water Rights Settlement Agreement.
- Defines ratifies and confirms the water rights of the Navajo Nation, Hopi Tribe, San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe, and their allottees as described in the Settlement Agreement.
- Provides allocates specific quantities of Colorado River water to the tribes: 44,700 AFY of Upper Basin water to Navajo Nation, 3,500 AFY of Fourth Priority Water to Navajo Nation, and 2,300 AFY of Upper Basin water...
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 defines states the purposes of the Act: to achieve final settlement of water rights claims for the Navajo Nation, Hopi Tribe, and San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe, authorize and ratify the Settlement Agreement, provides extensive definitions for terms used in the Act, including reservation boundaries, water rights terms, tribal entities, and key actors, and authorizes, ratifies, and confirms the Northeastern Arizona Indian Water Rights Settlement Agreement.
Key Policy Areas
Water Rights, Housing, Energy, Finance
Primary Purpose
The bill defines states the purposes of the Act: to achieve final settlement of water rights claims for the Navajo Nation, Hopi Tribe, and San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe, authorize and ratify the Settlement Agreement, provides extensive definitions for terms used in the Act, including reservation boundaries, water rights terms, tribal entities, and key actors, and authorizes, ratifies, and confirms the Northeastern Arizona Indian Water Rights Settlement Agreement.
Policy Domains
General Provisions (Sections 1-5)
Identified Gains
- Navajo Nation
- Hopi Tribe
- San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe
- Bureau of Reclamation
- State of Arizona
Identified Costs
- Federal taxpayers
- Secretary of the Interior
- Bureau of Reclamation
- Arizona state courts
Sponsors
Mark Kelly
D-AZ | Primary Sponsor
Legislative Progress
In CommitteeCommittee on Indian Affairs. Hearings held.
Mr. Kelly (for himself and Mr. Gallego) introduced the following …
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Indian Affairs.
Introduced in Senate
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Bureau of Reclamation, Hopi Tribe, Hopi Tribe and members
Bureau of Reclamation faces effects in multiple directions
Positive-direction: Hopi Tribe, Hopi Tribe and members, Navajo Nation, Navajo Nation and members, Other Indian tribes in Arizona, San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe, United States Government
Negative-direction: Secretary of the Interior
Construction and engineering contractors, Construction contractors for federal water projects, Contractors for tribal groundwater projects
Arizona water users (municipal, agricultural, industrial), Central Arizona Water Conservation District, Municipal water utilities in Arizona
Arizona state courts, State of Arizona
Positive-direction: State of Arizona
Negative-direction: Arizona state courts
Engineering firms specializing in water infrastructure
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of the Interior
- "cawcd"
- → Central Arizona Water Conservation District
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of the Interior
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of the Interior
- "the_commissioner"
- → Commissioner of Reclamation
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of the Interior
- "secretary_of_treasury"
- → Secretary of the Treasury
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of the Interior
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of the Interior
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of the Interior
- "the_commissioner"
- → Commissioner of Reclamation
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
The Secretary of the Interior
Acre-feet per year
The Federal reclamation project authorized under title III of the Colorado River Basin Project Act
The San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe, a federally recognized Indian Tribe
The Hopi Tribe, organized under the Indian Reorganization Act
As defined in the Colorado River Compact article II(g)
As defined in the Colorado River Compact article II(f)
All rights to use water recognized under Federal, State, or Tribal law
The Navajo Nation, a body politic and federally recognized Indian nation
The date on which the Secretary publishes findings in the Federal Register confirming all conditions have been met (Section 16)
A voluntary reduction of consumptive use of Arizona Colorado River Water to benefit the Colorado River System
The Northeastern Arizona Indian Water Rights Settlement Agreement dated May 9, 2024
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