Congress settles century-old tribal water disputes with $1 billion in federal trust funds
H.R. 1322 — Rio San José and Rio Jemez Water Settlements Act of 2025 · Filed by Teresa Leger Fernandez (D-NM) · 2 cosponsors · Introduced Feb 13, 2025 · Referred to committee
Your members of Congress
Enter a ZIP to see where your representative and both senators stood on this bill.
Looked up on this device — your ZIP is never stored on our servers.
What it does
This bill settles long-standing water rights disputes for four New Mexico Pueblos (Acoma, Laguna, Jemez, and Zia) by authorizing federal trust funds totaling approximately $1.05 billion to support water infrastructure, management, and economic development on tribal lands. In exchange, the Pueblos waive most historical water rights claims against the federal government and other parties, while retaining rights to newly acquired water and environmental protections.
Why we flagged it
The bill's core function is to settle tribal water rights claims through federal appropriations and trust fund mechanisms, coupled with waivers of historical litigation. This is a classic Indian water rights settlement statute, not a deregulation, tax measure, or commemorative act.
What the text implies
- The bill conditions enforceability on New Mexico enacting state legislation allowing 99-year water leases—a significant state-law change that may affect future water markets and non-tribal water users' ability to lease water long-term.
- Pueblos retain claims for environmental damage (CERCLA, Clean Water Act, Safe Drinking Water Act) but waive water-rights-specific claims, creating potential for future environmental litigation separate from water allocation disputes.
The full analysis lists 5 implications of this text.
Who stands to gain
Pueblo of Acoma; Pueblo of Laguna; Pueblo of Jemez