S.2109, the Navajo-Hopi Little Colorado River Water Rights Settlement Act, appears dead for now after the Navajo Nation Council voted to reject it.

The bill settles the rights of the Hopi Tribe and the Navajo Nation. Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Arizona) hoped it would pass before he retires at the end of the 112th Congress.

"They have a water right, and they should get it. We have a responsibility to try to get it to them," Kyl told The Arizona Republic. "I would have liked to be able to do that for the people I represent. I'm afraid this might have been their last chance."

The deal was criticized by activists from both tribes as being too unfair.

Get the Story:
Navajo-Hopi water deal collapses (The Arizona Republic 7/24)

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