[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 77 (Monday, May 12, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E883-E884]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   INTRODUCTION OF THE RIO GRANDE PUEBLOS IRRIGATION INFRASTRUCTURE 
                            IMPROVEMENT ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. TOM UDALL

                             of new mexico

                    in the house of representatives

                          Monday, May 12, 2008

  Mr. TOM UDALL of New Mexico. Madam Speaker, my district in Northern 
New Mexico is home to a number of Native American tribes. Stretching 
through the Rio Grande Basin are 18 Pueblo Indian communities who for 
centuries and countless generations have depended on that precious and 
rare commodity in the west--water. Water has always been an essential 
component of the traditions and day to day practices of these rich 
cultures, but as communities have grown and

[[Page E884]]

new peoples have come to also rely on New Mexico's scarce supply of 
water, new approaches to its management have become necessary. Recent 
reports from the Bureau of Reclamation, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and 
Government Accounting Office have identified a state of disrepair among 
the Pueblo irrigation networks, and a gap in the Bureau of Indian 
Affairs' capacity to maintain these systems. The Rio Grande Pueblos 
Irrigation Infrastructure Improvement Act seeks to address this issue 
of fundamental importance to New Mexico tribes.
  A 2000 report by the Bureau of Reclamation and Bureau of Indian 
Affairs entitled Pueblo Irrigation Facilities Rehabilitation Report 
determined that a significant percentage of Pueblo irrigation works are 
in disrepair. Additionally, a recent GAO Report (GAO-06-314) on Bureau 
of Indian Affairs' irrigation program also made clear that the agency 
has not had the financial and technical resources to maintain 
irrigation systems on Indian land. The lack of financial and technical 
resources within the Bureau of Indian Affairs is further compounded by 
the Department of the Interior's view that maintenance of Indian 
irrigation systems is not an obligation pursuant to its trust 
responsibility. The result is continued degradation of agricultural 
systems in Indian Country and no identifiable program to address 
irrigation infrastructure problems on Pueblo land.
  Because a significant percentage of Pueblo irrigation works are in 
disrepair, and because of the Pueblos' inability to use land that was 
historically irrigated, there is an inefficient use of the limited 
water supplies available to the Pueblos. In the arid west, water 
inefficiencies impact everyone negatively. If the Pueblos lose this 
precious resource due to inefficiencies, it is a loss for the 
surrounding communities as well, and to New Mexico as a whole.
  The Rio Grande Pueblos Irrigation Infrastructure Improvement Act will 
direct the Secretary of the Interior, through the Bureau of 
Reclamation, to work with the 18 Pueblos in the Rio Grande basin to 
first assess Pueblo irrigation infrastructure, and then initiate 
projects to rehabilitate and repair such infrastructure on Pueblo 
lands. It will be left to the individual Pueblo Councils to determine 
their interest in partnering with the Department of Interior to carry 
out a study of irrigation infrastructure and to carry out 
rehabilitation projects.
  This legislation requires the Bureau of Reclamation to work with the 
Pueblos, rather than the Bureau of Indian Affairs, because of the lack 
of relevant resources within the BIA, as well as its historical lack of 
attention to this issue. The Bureau of Reclamation has a technical 
expertise in water infrastructure that will be invaluable to the 
Pueblos. Moreover, the activity authorized in the bill is consistent 
with Reclamation's Water 2025 program. While the expertise at the 
Bureau of Reclamation is key to filling the technical gap in irrigation 
infrastructure rehabilitation, it is recognized that there are limited 
resources available within Reclamation, and that every initiative 
functions better when the flexibility of collaboration and cost sharing 
is a possibility. As such, the bill directs the Secretary of the 
Interior to work with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Natural 
Resource Conservation Service, and the Army Corps of Engineers to 
identify opportunities to use the authorities of those agencies to 
collaborate on projects satisfactory to all involved.
  As America moves into an era of climate change and resource scarcity, 
it is essential that areas such as the arid west mobilize creative new 
initiatives to address the new water resources needs. The Rio Grande 
Pueblos Irrigation Infrastructure Improvement Act is one piece of the 
water puzzle that impacts New Mexico, and our nation as a whole.

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