CONGRESS: AAMODT AND TAOS MEASURES MAKING HEADWAY.Byline: STACI MATLOCK The Aamodt and Taos Pueblo water-rights cases that would settle water rights for pueblos and non-Indians in the Pojoaque Valley and in Taos are moving through Congress. Bills for both have passed House and Senate committees and are ready for full floor votes. But Jude McCartin, spokeswoman for Sen. Jeff Bingaman Jesse Francis "Jeff" Bingaman Jr. (born October 3, 1943) is the junior U.S. Senator from New Mexico. He has been in the Senate since 1983 and is a member of the Democratic Party. Bingaman was Attorney General of New Mexico from 1978 until his election to the U.S. , D-N.M., said the bills aren't likely to go before the Senate for several weeks. "Health care legislation will dominate the Senate," she said. "Legislation like this doesn't get debate time. Usually it becomes part of a critical mass of legislation that advances as one (omnibus) package." The two water-rights cases are connected because both involve water rights from the San Juan-Chama project and the Rio Grande Rio Grande, city, Brazil Rio Grande (rē`  grän`dĭ), city (1991 pop. .
The House Natural Resources Committee approved both bills Sept. 30. Rep. Ben Ray Luj[sz]n, D-N.M., introduced both bills -- H.R. 3254, the Taos Pueblo Indian Pueblo Indian Any of the historic descendants of the prehistoric Anasazi peoples who have for centuries lived in settled pueblos in what is now northeastern Arizona and northwestern New Mexico, U.S. The contemporary pueblos are divided into eastern and western. Water Rights Settlement Act, and H.R. 3342, the Aamodt Litigation An action brought in court to enforce a particular right. The act or process of bringing a lawsuit in and of itself; a judicial contest; any dispute. When a person begins a civil lawsuit, the person enters into a process called litigation. Settlement Act. Similar bills in the Senate, S.B. 1105 and S.B. 965 introduced by Sens. Jeff Bingaman and Tom Udall Thomas Stewart Udall usually called Tom Udall (born May 18, 1948) is an American politician who has represented New Mexico's At-large congressional district as a member of the United States House of Representatives since 1999. Tom Udall was born in Tucson, Arizona. , passed the Indian Affairs Committee. "There was strong backing for both bills," McCartin said. The Aamodt bills approve a water-rights settlement over the claims of the pueblos of Pojoaque, Namba, Tesuque and San Ildefonso San Ildefonso, town, Spain San Ildefonso (sän ēldāfōn`sō) or La Granja (lä gräng`hä), town (1990 pop. 5,088), Segovia prov., central Spain, in Castile-León. in the Pojoaque Valley and would fund construction of a regional water system to serve both pueblos and non-Indian residents. The bills would appropriate $106.4 million to build the regional water system, $5.4 million to purchase water rights and $54 million for a pueblo settlement fund. The federal government would pay the pueblo portion of the cost of the water system; the state and Santa Fe Santa Fe, city, Argentina Santa Fe, city (1991 pop. 341,000), capital of Santa Fe prov., NE Argentina, a river port near the Paraná, with which it is connected by canal. County would pay the nonpueblo portion. The Aamodt water-rights settlement has been highly controversial, with some residents in the valley still opposing the settlement signed by the state, Santa Fe County and the pueblos. The Taos Pueblo water-rights bills settle Taos Pueblo's claims in the Taos Valley while protecting water rights of irrigators, community water systems and the town of Taos. The Taos Pueblo settlement has been less controversial because the settlement was negotiated primarily by the pueblo and the acequia a·ce·qui·a n. Southwestern U.S. An irrigation canal. [Spanish, from Arabic as-s irrigators, the two most senior water-rights holders in the valley. Contact Staci Matlock at 986-3055 or smatlock@sfnewmexican.com. |
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