Claims Resolution Act

Floor Speech

Mr. BINGAMAN. Mr. President, I rise today to commemorate President Obama's signing of the historic Claims Resolution Act of 2010. The act contains measures that resolve long-standing claims against the United States including claims relating to three Indian water rights adjudication cases in New Mexico. In addition, the act provides significant funding to implement the settlement agreements. The signing of the Claims Resolution Act of 2010 represents a significant achievement for the people of New Mexico.

I would like to express my gratitude to the many New Mexicans who have worked on these settlement agreements over many years. I would also like to commend the Obama administration for its efforts to engage with the settlement parties to finalize the settlements in ways that will strengthen the relationship between the Federal Government and the tribes and protect the non-Indian residents in the settlement areas. Having the full support of the administration was a very important part of our success.

The Aamodt and Abeyta settlements represent agreements that end long-standing litigation and provide numerous benefits that could never have been possible through the courts. The funding we have provided will ensure that the projects can move forward quickly. It is my hope that the settlement parties will continue to make swift progress toward implementation so that the Pueblo and non-Pueblo residents of Taos and the Pojoaque Valley will soon have access to more secure drinking water and improved ligation systems. In addition, the $180 million in funding provided for the Navajo settlement will expedite the construction necessary to bring drinking water to Navajo citizens who currently haul water to their homes from watering stations many miles away. The Navajo-Gallup project will also provide water to the city of Gallup and the Jicarilla Apache Tribe. I am pleased the Bureau of Reclamation's planning for the project is well underway and that construction may commence as early as 2012, providing hundreds of jobs for New Mexicans for years to come.

The Aamodt case involves the water rights claims of the Nambe, Pojoaque, San Ildefonso, and Tesuque Pueblos in the Rio Pojoaque stream system north of Santa Fe. It is my understanding that the case, which was filed in 1966, is the longest active Federal case in the country. The Aamodt settlement represents an agreement that quantifies the present and future water rights of the four Pueblos involved in the litigation. The settlement also protects the interests and water rights of non-Indian water users, including the historic acequias irrigation systems that have existed for centuries. The Aamodt settlement will bring new water into the basin for municipal and domestic needs for Pueblo and non-Pueblo residents throughout the Pojoaque basin. I commend the Aamodt settlement parties for their commitment to the negotiation process which will provide benefits to the basin for generations to come.

The Abeyta settlement resolves Taos Pueblo's water rights claims in the Rio Pueblo de Taos stream system. The Abeyta adjudication case is also over 40 years old and the settlement parties have been working toward this result for decades. I commend them for their hard work and dedication. The Abeyta settlement will quantify the water rights of Taos Pueblo and will protect the interests of the other citizens throughout the Taos region. The Abeyta settlement provides for the construction of mutually beneficial projects designed to modernize water infrastructure and protect historic landscapes. The settlement will help to preserve the region's historic irrigation systems and provide security to domestic water users as well.

The Aamodt and Abeyta settlements represent fair and reasonable conclusions to protracted, contentious litigation. They are the product of countless hours of hard work and determination. Numerous individuals have worked on these issues for decades like Nelson Cordova, Gil Suazo, Palemon Martinez and John Painter in the Taos Valley and David Ortiz, Maxine Goad, Herbert Yates, Ernest Mirabal, Charlie Dorame, James Hena, Perry Martinez, and George Rivera from the Aamodt case. I am grateful to those individuals and the many others who made these settlements possible. I would like to provide a special acknowledgment to Michael Connor, the Commissioner of Reclamation, for his longstanding commitment to resolving Indian water rights claims in ways that promote sound federal policy and fairness to the parties involved. Finally, I would like to recognize both Tanya Trujillo, my water expert on the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, and Trudy Vincent, my legislative director, for their wise counsel and hard work in passing this important legislation.

Thank you for the opportunity to make these remarks.

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