Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona) is working on a bill to fund development in the former Bennett Freeze area, The Los Angeles Times reports.

Roman Bitsuie, the executive director of the Navajo-Hopi Land Commission, doesn't know how much money will be included in the bill. But it could be introduced later this year.

"How do you compensate for someone's spiritual scars?" Bitsuie told the Times. "I don't think there's a price on that."

In 1966, the Bureau of Indian Affairs imposed a ban on development on land in northeastern Arizona that was claimed both by the Navajo Nation and the Hopi Tribe. The ban was meant to be temporary.

After decades of negotiations, the tribes resolved their differences and the freeze was officially lifted in a bill that President Barack Obama signed into law in May. The bill did not include money for housing, infrastructure and other needs in the formerly disputed area.

Get the Story:
Trying to rebuild after 40 frozen years (The Los Angeles Times 11/5)