The House Natural Resources Committee approved three tribal water settlement bills at a markup on Wednesday.

The committee sent the bills to the House floor amid objections from two Republicans, who said they wanted to hear from the Department of Justice about the proposed settlements. They cited the high cost of the deals and the impact on American taxpayers.

Despite the questions, Rep. Doc Hastings (R-Washington), the committee's ranking Republican, said he would not hold up the legislation. Rep. Nick Rahall (D-West Virginia), the committee chairman, said the Obama administration's views will be considered on the floor.

The bills approved are:

• H.R.1065, the White Mountain Apache Tribe Water Rights Quantification Act.
• H.R.3254, the Taos Pueblo Indian Water Rights Settlement Act.
• H.R.3342, the Aamodt Litigation Settlement Act.

All three bills have already been approved by the Senate Indian Affairs Committee.

Committee Notice:
Full Committee Markup (September 30, 2009)

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House Resources markup on tribal water bills (9/30)
House Resources markup on Indian water bills (9/28)
Senate Indian Affairs Committee approves bills (9/11)