SENATE JOINT MEMORIAL 18

48th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 2008

INTRODUCED BY

Lidio G. Rainaldi

FOR THE INDIAN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE

A JOINT MEMORIAL

URGING CONGRESS TO PASS THE NORTHWESTERN NEW MEXICO RURAL WATER PROJECTS ACT.

     WHEREAS, the state of New Mexico and the Navajo Nation have negotiated the San Juan River Basin in New Mexico Navajo Nation Water Rights Settlement Agreement, referred to in this memorial as the "settlement agreement", that quantifies the Navajo Nation's rights to use water of the San Juan river basin in New Mexico; and

     WHEREAS, the Navajo Nation, the state of New Mexico and the city of Gallup have approved the settlement agreement or related agreements that will implement the settlement agreement and the construction of the Navajo-Gallup water supply project; and

     WHEREAS, both the interstate stream commission and the state engineer have approved the settlement agreement; and

     WHEREAS, the settlement agreement fits within New Mexico's apportionment under the Upper Colorado River Basin Compact and provides benefits to the state of New Mexico, the Navajo Nation and the Jicarilla Apache Nation and also provides substantial protections to other parties to the San Juan river adjudication; and

     WHEREAS, construction of the Navajo-Gallup water supply project will provide water to numerous chapters of the Navajo Nation and will reduce the need for eighty thousand Navajo men, women and children to bear the financial and physical burden of hauling water for domestic use; and

     WHEREAS, construction of the Navajo-Gallup water supply project will provide the city of Gallup with a renewable surface water supply that is essential to the city's future growth; and

     WHEREAS, the state of New Mexico has already appropriated more than twenty-five million dollars ($25,000,000) for the implementation of planning and construction of distribution systems for the water that will be delivered to the Gallup area through the Navajo-Gallup water supply project;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that it express its support of the San Juan River Basin in New Mexico Navajo Nation Water Rights Settlement Agreement; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that it request the United States senate and the United States house of representatives to approve, during the one-hundred-tenth session of congress, the Northwestern New Mexico Rural Water Projects Act that has been introduced in the senate as Senate Bill 1171 and in the house of representatives as House Bill 1970; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the chair of the United States senate committee on energy and natural resources, the chair of the subcommittee on water and power of the United States house of representatives committee on natural resources, New Mexico's congressional delegation, the governor, the president of the Navajo Nation, the speaker of the Navajo Nation council, the president of the Jicarilla Apache Nation, the city council of Gallup and the mayor of Gallup.

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