[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1662 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







105th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 1662

    To authorize the Navajo Indian irrigation project to use power 
  allocated to it from the Colorado River storage project for on-farm 
                                 uses.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           February 12, 1998

 Mr. Bingaman (for himself and Mr. Domenici) introduced the following 
  bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Indian 
                                Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To authorize the Navajo Indian irrigation project to use power 
  allocated to it from the Colorado River storage project for on-farm 
                                 uses.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds that--
            (1) the Navajo Indian irrigation project (in this section 
        referred to as the ``irrigation project'') was authorized for 
        construction and operation as a participating project of the 
        Colorado River storage project by the Act of June 13, 1962, 
        Public Law 87-483, pursuant to plans approved by the Secretary 
        of the Interior on October 16, 1957;
            (2) the irrigation project is an all-Indian irrigation 
        project authorized for the primary purpose of delivering water 
        to develop farming and allied industries that benefit the 
        Navajo Nation;
            (3) the Bureau of Reclamation has reserved 87 megawatts of 
        power and associated energy from the Colorado River storage 
        project for current and future use on the irrigation project, 
        but currently not more than 25 megawatts of power is being used 
        because the project is only partially completed; while the 
        initial and subsequent plans and authorizing legislation for 
        the irrigation project allow power to be used to deliver water 
        to the irrigation project by canals and to lift water to 
        heights sufficient to pressurize the sprinkler delivery system, 
        clarification is necessary to approve the use of power for on-
        farm uses such as for powering center-pivot irrigation systems 
        or for related agricultural industry purposes; and
            (4) the irrigation project is of vital economic importance 
        to the Navajo Nation, and substantial economic development for 
        the Four Corners Region and the Navajo Nation could be realized 
        if a portion of the 87 megawatt power allocation were made 
        available by the Bureau of Reclamation for powering center-
        pivot irrigation systems and for related agricultural industry 
        purposes.

SEC. 2. USE OF POWER.

    The first section of the Act of June 13, 1962 (Public Law 87-483; 
76 Stat. 96) is amended by adding at the end the following: ``The 
Navajo Indian irrigation project may use its allocation of 87 megawatts 
of power from the Colorado River storage project for water delivery, 
on-farm production, and related agricultural industry purposes.''.
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