"In this era of bonuses and bailouts, it's nice to know that Congress still can get behind a project that actually will help the common people.

Just ask the families living on the Navajo Nation who will get running water in their homes for the first time.

Thanks to Sen. Jeff Bingaman's coaxing and a wave of President Obama's pen, the pipeline connecting the Animas-La Plata Water Project with the Navajo Nation, currently under construction, can continue to move forward.

The bill, passed by Congress as part of a wider package to protect public lands, will settle one of the longest running water rights disputes in the nation, between the Navajo tribe and the city of Gallup.

The law also provides the pipeline with federal funding so it can continue stretching westward, bringing fresh water to the Navajo people in much-need dry areas of the reservation.

Almost everyone in the area affected knows the importance of this pipeline.

It represents the prospect of progress toward improving living conditions on the reservation. Having to get your home's water out of a well is one thing, but having to haul that water for miles through the harsh New Mexico desert is unacceptable for families struggling for something better."

Get the Story:
Editorial: Water pipeline's OK means much to Navajo (The Farmington Daily Times 4/9)

Relevant Documents:
President Obama Remarks | STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT | BACKGROUND ON THE OMNIBUS PUBLIC LANDS MANAGEMENT ACT BILL SIGNING | Secretary Ken Salazar Remarks

Omnibus Lands Bill:
H.R.146 | S.22

Related Stories:
Obama signs omnibus public lands bill into law (3/31)
Obama to sign omnibus public lands bill into law (3/30)
Tribal provisions included in omnibus lands bill (3/26)
Navajo Nation water rights settlement in Congress (02/17)