One of the bills signed compensates the Spokane Nation 50 years after their land was flooded by the Grand Coulee Dam.
A lack of accessible water has affected all aspects of life in Utah.
WASHINGTON, D.C.-Before leaving office, President Donald J. Trump signed historic bills that will help Native Americans for years to come.
The Navajo Utah Water Rights Settlement Act included an omnibus appropriations package totaling $2.3 trillion.
The omnibus bill includes $1.4 trillion for federal spending and $900 billion for COVID-19 relief, which was approved by the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, along with the water rights settlement.
The final approval of the Navajo Utah Water Rights Settlement Act will:
• Settle all current and future claims by the Navajo Nation for water rights within Utah;
• Ratify the proposed water rights settlement between the Navajo Nation and the State of Utah, confirming the Navajo Nation's right to deplete 81,500 acre-feet of water per year from Utah's Colorado River Basin apportionment; and
• Authorize approximately $220 million for water infrastructure to provide water infrastructure, which will provide clean drinking water, to Navajo communities in Utah.
"For many years, our Navajo people from the grassroots level all the way to the highest levels of our government have fought hard to negotiate our water rights and bring clean water to our communities in the state of Utah. We are overjoyed that the combined efforts of many have finally paid off with [the] historic signing of the Navajo Utah Water Rights Settlement Act. This is a victory for all of the Navajo families and leaders from the state of Utah and for the entire Navajo Nation," said President Nez.
The water rights settlement was also approved by the 23rd Navajo Nation Council in January 2016.
More than 40 percent of Navajo households in Utah lack running water or adequate sanitation. In some cases, such as in the community of Oljato on the Arizona-Utah border, a single spigot on a desolate road, miles from any residence, serves 900 people.
"This is a remarkable accomplishment and memorable moment for our Navajo people . . . We are very grateful of the support from Congress and President Trump, which will allow us to move forward with providing clean water for our Navajo people for many years to come," Navajo Nation Vice President Myron Lizer stated.
Navajo Nation also applauded Trump's signing of the Indian Community Economic Enhancement Act of 2020
The Indian Community Economic Enhancement (ICEE) Act is intended to amend current programs and laws-the Native American Business Development, Trade Promotion, and Tourism Act of 2000, the Buy Indian Act, and the Native American Programs Act of 1974-with the goal of providing economic opportunity for Native Americans.
Together, the amendments will increase access to capital for Indian tribes and businesses, increase opportunities for Indian business promotion, and attract investors. The measure was approved by Congress in December.
"We thank Senator John Hoeven for his leadership in introducing this measure to promote economic development in Indian Country and look forward to seeing increased opportunity for Indian tribes, businesses, and individuals who have business aspirations," said President Nez. "With only a handful of gas stations, grocery stores, and shops on the Navajo Nation, we all need to do more to support our local economy. Again, I am optimistic that this bill will help to build our Nation's economy."
Among other things, the ICEE Act will create a permanent waiver of the cost sharing requirement for Native American CDFIs who receive grants through the Native American CDFI Assistance Program at the Department of the Treasury. It will also streamline Federal economic development programming by requiring multi-agency coordination between the departments of commerce, interior, and treasury.
Three other bills signed include compensation to the Spokane tribe for the loss of their lands in the mid-1900s, reauthorization of funding for Native language programs and federal recognition of the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians in Montana.
For the Spokane tribe, the compensation act comes more than half a century after the Grand Coulee Dam flooded more than 21,000 acres of their land. The bill orders the Bonneville Power Administration, an American federal agency based in the Pacific northwest, to pay the tribe $6 million per year for 10 years and $8 million each year afterwards in compensation for the losses of their land. However, the bill also prevents the Spokane from claiming a share of the hydropower revenues generated by the dam, which they were previously entitled to.
The Little Shell Tribe, based in Montana, has fought for federal recognition since the late 1800s, when treaty negotiations between the tribe and the federal government failed.
Additionally, the Esther Martinez Native American Languages Preservation Act, which expired in 2012, will be reauthorized, granting $13 million in funds to smaller groups of Native American students each year starting 2020 until 2024.
"The history of the United States tells us about the deliberate efforts to eliminate Indigenous peoples' languages and cultures through forced assimilation, boarding school forced attendance, treaties that have not been honored, and promises not kept," Arizona Rep. Raúl Grijalva, the chairman of the House Committee on Natural Resources, said during debate on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives.
"We remain committed to preserving and protecting Native American cultures, languages, and history, while ensuring prosperity and opportunity for all Native Americans," said President Trump.
