Pechanga Band of Luiseno Mission Indians of the Pechanga Reservation, California

WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke and Mark Macarro, Chairman of the Pechanga Band of Luiseño Mission Indians today signed the Pechanga Water Rights Settlement Agreement (Agreement), formally executing a Congressionally authorized pact that protects the Pechanga Band’s access to groundwater in the region and provides the tribe with more than $30 million in federal funding to pay for water storage projects.

The Agreement quantifies the water rights claims for the Pechanga Band in Southern California’s Temecula Valley, which had been pending in an adjudication dating back to the 1950s; resolves potential liability for both the United States and other parties; and establishes a cooperative and efficient water management regime involving Pechanga and local agencies.

“The Federal Government has a critical responsibility to uphold our trust responsibilities, especially Tribal water rights,” Secretary Zinke said. “This is why we are continuing to work on Indian Water Settlements with Tribes, States, and all water users to ensure there is certainty for all and an opportunity for economic development in local communities. As a former State Senator and Congressman who helped usher the Blackfeet compact through to fruition, I understand all too well the hard work and enormous struggle that goes into making these important water rights settlements possible. I congratulate all of you for your perseverance, dedication, and commitment to making this settlements happen.”

“The Pechanga Band has tirelessly pursued the quantification of its water rights and, through negotiations, engaged its neighbors in a multiyear process of building mutual trust and understanding,” said Pechanga Chairman Macarro. “Generations of tribal leaders have fought from the courts to Capitol Hill to protect this vital resource for future generations. This settlement agreement benefits all of the parties by securing adequate water supplies for the Pechanga Band and its members and encouraging cooperative water resources management among all of the parties.”

Zinke commended the congressional sponsors of the Settlement Act legislation, saying they “fought to bring these settlements across the finish line.” The agreement – introduced by Rep. Ken Calvert, (R-Corona) – settles competing claims involving the Rancho California Water District and the Eastern Municipal Water District, which both draw from the large aquifer in the region that stretches 750 square miles from Southwest Riverside County to north San Diego County .

“For the tribe, local community, and the many federal employees who have contributed to these settlements, seeing these agreements signed is the culmination of years of dedication and hard work. I think we all recognize that this is just the start of the journey towards settlement finality,” Zinke said.

“The Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians, as well as all of the parties to this settlement, deserve to have some certainty on the future of their water supply,” Rep. Calvert said. “I’m grateful we have been able to enact the settlement and ensure all of the stakeholders in the Santa Margarita River Watershed can better shape their future.”

Interior is in the initial stages of implementing the Settlement Act, which was enacted as part of the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act (P.L. 114-322) in 2016. The Departments of Justice and Interior have an established protocol for processing settlement agreements for execution.

The Act and Agreement establishes the Pechanga Settlement Fund and authorizes the appropriation of about $3 million to be deposited into the fund to construct a storage pond. The legislation also authorizes the appropriation of about $26 million, with about $4 million in construction overrun costs, to build interim and permanent capacity for water storage, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

Also attending today’s event were Pechanga Council Members, including Catalina R. Chacon; Robert Munoa; Russell Murphy; Marc Luker; Raymond Basquez Jr. and Michael Vasquez. Deputy Secretary of the Interior David Bernhard and Associate Deputy Secretary Jim Cason also joined the ceremony.

Water resources and management of scare water supplies are central concerns in the Western states. Additionally, in many parts of the West, water resources are now either fully appropriated or over-appropriated. These situations underscore the need for cooperative management of water supplies, and highlight the important role that Indian water rights settlements can play in the West.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs John Tahsuda today announced his approval of land leasing codes for 10 tribes in seven states. Today’s action brings to 39 the number of federally recognized tribes whose land leasing regulations have been approved by the Department of the Interior in accordance with the Helping Expedite and Advance Responsible Tribal Homeownership (HEARTH) Act.

“I congratulate these tribes on joining the growing family of tribal governments with approved land leasing authority under the HEARTH Act,” Tahsuda said. “The Act provides tribal nations with the means to achieve greater control over their economic futures. With each step forward, Indian Country demonstrates its ability to guide the economic progress of its people now and into the future.”

With approval of their HEARTH Act regulations, these tribes now have the authority to enact and implement their own tribal regulations, which will promote their self-determination and tribal sovereignty. The tribes have the ability to lease lands of tribal trust property or tribal restricted land by implementing leasing regulations that specifically meet their needs.

The 10 tribes whose HEARTH Act regulations received approval are:

• Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes, Oklahoma (Business Site leases)
• Lummi Tribe of the Lummi Reservation, Washington (Business and Residential leases)
• Kootenai Tribe of Idaho (Residential leases)
• Coquille Indian Tribe, Oregon (Business Site leases)
• Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians, California (Business leases and other authorized purposes)
• Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians, Michigan (Business, Agricultural, Residential, Wind and Solar Resource, and Wind Energy Evaluation leases)
• Ramona Band of Cahuilla, California (Business purposes)
• Apache Tribe of Oklahoma (Business, Wind and Solar, Wind Energy Evaluation, and other authorized purpose leases)
• Pechanga Band of Luiseno Mission Indians of the Pechanga Reservation, California (Business leases)
• Oneida Nation, Wisconsin (Business, Agricultural and Residential leases)

The HEARTH Act establishes the authority of federally recognized tribes to develop and implement their own laws governing the long-term leasing of Indian lands for residential, business, renewable energy, and other purposes. Upon one-time approval of their regulations by the Department, such tribes gain the authority to process land leases without Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) approval, thereby greatly expediting leasing approval for homes and small businesses in Indian Country.

The Helping Expedite and Advance Responsible Tribal Homeownership, or HEARTH, Act, which Congress passed with overwhelming bipartisan support, was signed on July 30, 2012. For more information, visit the Indian Affairs HEARTH Act web page.

Tribes with HEARTH Act leasing regulations approved prior to today’s announcement are:

• Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria, California (Business)
• Pueblo of Sandia, New Mexico (Business)
• Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians, Michigan (Residential)
• Ak-Chin Indian Community, Arizona (Business)
• Santa Rosa Band of Cahuilla Indians, California (Business)
• Citizen Potawatomi Nation, Oklahoma (Business)
• Ewiiaapaayp Band of Kumeyaay Indians, California (Business)
• Kaw Nation, Oklahoma (Business)
• Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe, Washington (Business)
• Dry Creek Rancheria Band of Pomo Indians, California (Business)
• Wichita and Affiliated Tribes, Oklahoma (Business)
• Mohegan Tribe of Indians of Connecticut (Business)
• Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, California (Business)
• Seminole Tribe of Florida (Individual Business and Residential Ordinances)
• Cowlitz Indian Tribe, Washington (Business)
• Oneida Indian Nation, New York (Business)
• Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin (Individual Bus., Residential and Agricultural Codes)
• Absentee Shawnee Tribe, Oklahoma (Business)
• Rincon Band of Luiseno Mission Indians, California (Business)
• Makah Indian Tribe, Washington (Business and Residential)
• Squaxin Island Tribe, Washington (Business)
• Gila River Indian Community, Arizona (Business)
• Ohkay Owingeh, New Mexico (Business, Agricultural, Residential, and Renewable Energy)
• Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community, Minnesota (Business)
• Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians, California (Business)
• Oneida Indian Nation of New York (Residential)
• Chemehuevi Indian Tribe, California (Business)
• Osage Nation, Oklahoma (Business)
• Stillaguamish Tribe of Washington (Business)

The Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs oversees the BIA, which is headed by a Director who is responsible for managing day-to-day operations through four offices – Indian Services, Justice Services, Trust Services, and Field Operations. These offices directly administer or fund tribally based infrastructure, law enforcement, social services, tribal governance, natural and energy resources, and trust land and resources management programs for the nation’s federally recognized American Indian and Alaska Native tribes.

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