The U.S. House passed the Bill Williams River Water Rights Settlement Act of 2014 unanimously on Monday. Representative Paul Gosar introduced the bill and won the support of the entire Arizona delegation including Representative Ann Kirkpatrick.
Kirkpatrick represents the Hualapai Tribe as well as northern Arizona communities that benefit from the much-needed settlement.
The legislation facilitates a settlement of certain claims within the Bill Williams River Watershed among the Hualapai Tribe, the U.S. Department of the Interior, the Arizona Game and Fish Commission, and Freeport-McMoRan. According to Gosar’s fact sheet on the issue, H.R. 4924 provides certainty for the Bagdad Mine, “which has an annual economic impact of $339.1 million to the state of Arizona, and sustains nearly 4,000 direct and indirect jobs.”
In a statement released Monday, Gosar said, “Working together, the entire Arizona delegation teamed up to get this bill through the House. The merits of this settlement are so clear everybody supports it. This settlement is a win for Arizona as a key mine will continue to employ thousands, it is a win for the Hualapai Tribe and resolves long standing water claims, and a win for Mohave County. Mohave County now gets legal access for hunting and fishing to lands it was previously barred from entering.”
Kirkpatrick said, “This legislation solves problems and helps folks in my district. The Hualapai Tribe will benefit from additional water rights, infrastructure and economic development. The general public will benefit from expanded access to hunting and fishing. And our entire region will benefit from the good-paying mining jobs that this bill sustains. This is the type of common sense, bipartisan work that I hope to see more of from Congress.”