The bill would update rules for the Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project. It would allow water service to expand to Navajo Nation communities in New Mexico’s Rio San Jose Basin and to Lupton, Arizona. It also sets rules for transferring certain project lands into trust for the Navajo Nation, deferring some construction, and using a fund for deferred or alternate facilities. The bill updates project funding authorizations and deadlines, creates or revises trust funds for project and water-related costs, and allows limited project funding for renewable energy and hydropower. It also sets conditions for sending non-project water to Navajo communities in Utah.
If you live in a community served by the project, the bill could allow the project to serve additional areas, subject to its terms and required agreements. It also sets rules for taxes on project construction and operations based on whether the work takes place on land held in trust for the Navajo Nation. The bill does not guarantee that any community will receive water by a particular date.
The bill authorizes $2.175 billion for the project through fiscal year 2029, with adjustments for certain construction cost changes. It also authorizes $250 million for the Navajo Nation’s project operations, maintenance, and replacement trust fund, and up to $10 million for a similar Jicarilla Apache Nation trust fund, subject to an ability-to-pay study. Up to $6.25 million of project funds may be used for renewable energy, including up to $1.25 million for hydropower. These are authorizations, not statements that the amounts have been spent.
No publicly available information.
No publicly available information.