Latest news with #NortheasternArizonaIndianWaterRightsSettlementActof2025
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Hopi awarded more than $4 million for water infrastructure project
Daniel Herrera CarbajalICT The Hopi Tribe has been awarded more than $4 million for a solar-powered microgrid to advance its energy and water funds, awarded from the Department of Energy, will be used to build a 250-kilowatt, solar-powered microgrid to power two wells at the unelectrified Side Rock Well Field located on the Hopi Reservation in northeast wells will deliver water to the villages of Upper and Lower Moenkopi via a pipeline that is currently under construction.'It'll be bringing much-needed water to the village of Moencopi on the Hopi Reservation,' Hopi tribal council representative Leroy Shingoitewa told Arizona Democratic senators, Ruben Gallego and Mark Kelly, announced the news.'I'm excited to announce that the Hopi Tribe has been awarded over $4 million to help secure its energy and water future,' said Gallego. 'Clean water is vital for community health and economic development, and this innovative project will ensure that some of the most remote parts of the Hopi Reservation have reliable access for years to come.''This project means Hopi families will have a steady, reliable water source,' said Kelly. 'By using solar power to run these wells, they're lowering costs and making sure the community has the water it needs for years to come.'The addition of a microgrid is part of a larger, ongoing project – Side Rock Water Supply project, which aims to provide a reliable water source for the Hopi Tribe.A microgrid is a self-contained electrical network that can work independently from the main power grid or alongside it. The new Hopi microgrid will work independently from its main power the Upper and Lower Moencopi villages are disconnected from the rest of Hopi Tribe. The Hopi Tribe is surrounded by the Navajo Nation, but the Moencopi village is separated from the main Hopi land. Shingoitewa told ICT that this leaves Moencopi far from the main Hopi water supply.'We live on the western portion of the reservation approximately 55 miles away from the Hopi tribal headquarters, and we really are kind of sitting on an island outside of the main Hopi Reservation,'Shingoitewa told Moencopi village has wells, but the water produced from them is not 'adequate,' said to the U.S. Department of Energy, the current water source is now insufficient for community needs.'With the money that's now gonna be available for the wells to bring water here, we will have the opportunity to provide more water to meet the needs of our people here in our village … and also for the future,' said fight for water is ongoing for tribal nations, with many tribes still fighting for their water rights in Kelly and Gallego introduced the Northeastern Arizona Indian Water Rights Settlement Act of 2025, which was referred to the Senate Indian Affairs Committee. A version of the act also has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives. Both houses of Congress would need to pass the legislation, which would ratify and fund the largest Indian water rights settlement in the country. It would secure water rights for the Navajo Nation, Hopi Tribe and the San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe. The Northeastern Arizona Indian Water Rights Settlement Agreement will settle the three tribes' claims to the main stem of the Colorado River, the Little Colorado River, and relevant groundwater sources in Arizona. It will guarantee the tribes' access to over 56,000 acre-feet of Colorado River water, with specific groundwater rights and agreement also requires the Hopi Tribe and Navajo Nation to leave 17,050 acre-feet per year of Arizona Upper Basin water in Lake Powell for the first 20 years.'This is a truly historic moment for our Tribe and for our sister tribes. Clean, running water and permanent homes are luxuries our people have gone too long without,' said San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe President Carlene Yellowhair in a press release. 'This legislation will ensure we have these basic human rights now and into the future. We are grateful to Senator Kelly, Senator Gallego, Congressman Ciscomani, Congressman Stanton, and the entire Arizona Delegation for their continued support for this important legislation.' Our stories are worth telling. Our stories are worth sharing. Our stories are worth your support. Contribute today to help ICT carry out its critical mission. Sign up for ICT's free newsletter.
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Arizona delegation pushes largest tribal water rights settlement in US history
Shondiin Silversmith AZ Mirror A settlement that will provide reliable and safe water for the Navajo Nation, the Hopi Tribe and the San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe has been introduced in Congress, where it must be approved to take effect. 'This is a historic moment for the Navajo Nation, Hopi Tribe, and San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe,' U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly, Arizona's Democratic senior senator, said in a press release. 'After years of hard work and collaboration, we're delivering a water settlement that secures reliable, clean water and strengthens Tribal sovereignty.' The Northeastern Arizona Indian Water Rights Settlement Act of 2025 would ratify and fund the largest Indian water rights settlement in the country, which will secure water rights for the Navajo Nation, Hopi Tribe and the San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe. Kelly and U.S. Sen. Ruben Gallego, Arizona's other senator, introduced the legislation. Identical legislation has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by U.S. Rep. Juan Ciscomani (R-Tucson); it has been cosponsored by Arizona Reps. Yassamin Ansari (D-Phoenix), Eli Crane (R-Oro Valley), Raúl Grijalva (D-Tucson), David Schweikert (R-Scottsdale) and Greg Stanton (D-Phoenix). The agreement will end the three tribes' claims to the main stem of the Colorado River, the Little Colorado River and relevant groundwater sources in Arizona. The settlement would guarantee the tribes' access to over 56,000 acre-feet of Colorado River water, with specific groundwater rights and protections. Additionally, the agreement requires the Navajo Nation and Hopi Tribe to leave 17,050 acre-feet per year of Arizona Upper Basin water in Lake Powell for the first 20 years. It will also allow the Navajo Nation and the Hopi Tribe to lease a portion of their water rights, providing the tribes a chance to create economic opportunities until local demand is met through new infrastructure. The legislation authorizes $5.1 billion to acquire, build, and maintain essential water development and delivery projects, including a distribution pipeline. 'For countless generations, Arizona's tribes have been caretakers of the Colorado River,' Gallego said in a written statement. 'But for too long, water rights disputes have prevented them from having full certainty around their water future.' 'With this historic legislation, Navajo Nation, Hopi Tribe, and the San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe will finally get the security and stability they deserve,' he added. Gov. Katie Hobbs said that her administration is proud to support the Northeastern Arizona Indian Water Rights Settlement Act, as it will provide clean and reliable water to thousands of Indigenous families, address generations of injustice, and promote economic and social progress. 'For decades, the Navajo, Hopi, and San Juan Southern Paiute Tribes have fought for a fundamental human right: access to water,' Hobbs said. Navajo Nation Council Speaker Crystalyne Curley said the settlement will secure prosperity for future generations of the Diné, Hopi and San Juan Southern Paiute people. 'People doubted that three tribes could unite,' Curley said. 'This dispute was imposed on us, but with something as vital as water at stake, we came together — not for ourselves, but for our children.' Curley said that, without the settlement, their communities would remain disproportionately vulnerable to diseases and development, and the Navajo Nation would continue to be limited by the lack of water infrastructure. 'Tens of thousands of Navajo people in Arizona do not have water in their homes,' Curley said. 'The infrastructure funded under the bill secures the necessary water supply that will serve our communities and our future generations.' Hopi Chairman Tom Nuvangyaoma echoed Curley's statements and called the settlement's introduction a historic moment. 'I want to thank our Navajo and San Juan Southern Paiute relatives for setting aside differences, as we did as Hopi,' Nuvangyaoma said. 'This settlement isn't for us — it's for the sustainability and survival of future generations. It must happen.' Nuvangyaoma said the settlement will ensure the Hopi Tribe's water future by providing a reliable water supply and much needed infrastructure. 'The act will benefit water users throughout northeastern Arizona by ending costly, decades-long litigation and providing certainty about water resources,' he added. San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe President Carlene Yellowhair called the settlement a genuinely historic moment for all the tribes because clean, running water and home structures are luxuries that their people have gone too long without. 'This legislation will ensure we have these basic human rights now and into the future,' Yellowhair said, adding that she is grateful for the Arizona delegation's support of the legislation. In addition to the water allotment and funding, the legislation will formally establish a reservation for the San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe. The tribe will receive 5,400 acres of land within the boundaries of the Navajo Nation. 'This Legislation establishes our homeland, ensures our water rights and provides for secure infrastructure,' San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe Vice President Johnny Lehi, Jr. said. 'It has been a long time coming and we are excited about the new challenges and opportunities that will surely follow.' Our stories are worth telling. Our stories are worth sharing. Our stories are worth your support. Contribute $5 or $10 today to help ICT carry out its critical mission. Sign up for ICT's free newsletter.
