Senate panel approves Navajo Nation water rights bill

Thursday, May 8, 2008  

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee unanimously approved S.1171, a bill to settle the water rights of the Navajo Nation, on Wednesday.

The bill recognizes the tribe's right to about 600,000 acre-feet of the San Juan River in New Mexico. It authorizes a major water pipeline to serve the reservation and Gallup, a town near the reservation.

The bill goes to the Senate floor for consideration. The Bush administration has balked at the cost -- estimated at $1 billion -- of the settlement.

Get the Story:
Navajo water rights bill heads to U.S. Senate floor (AP 5/8)
Senate Panel OKs Navajo Water Deal (The Albuquerque Journal 5/8)