At least four major Indian water rights settlements are headed to Congress this year.
The largest is a $800 million deal between the Navajo Nation and the state of New Mexico.
The Bush administration has balked at the high cost of the settlement.
The Senate Indian Affairs Committee has already approved a $60 million deal for the Shoshone and Paiute Tribes on the Duck Valley Reservation in Idaho and Nevada.
Meanwhile, the House Natural Resources Committee plans a March 13 hearing on a $21 million settlement for the Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians in California.
The Blackfeet Nation of Montana is closing in on a deal with the state after years of negotiations.
The state has agreed to pay the tribe $14.5 million.
Get the Story:Indian tribes exercising water rights (USA Today 2/26)
