Leaders of the Navajo Nation and the Zuni Pueblo aired a land dispute at a hearing before the House Subcommittee on Indian and Alaska Native Affairs on Thursday.

The defunct Fort Wingate Army Depot in New Mexico is located near the reservations of both tribes. But after 15 years of negotiations, they have been unable to agree to a division of about 11,000 acres.

Congress has given the tribes until 2020 to reach an agreement. But Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska), the chairman of the subcommittee, indicated that was too long to wait, given the potential for economic development at the site.

H.R.4187 would resolve the dispute but some Navajo leaders, mainly those within the Navajo Nation Council oppose the current provisions of the bill, which has not received a hearing in the House.

Get the Story:
Navajo, Zuni leaders ask for federal help settling dispute over land (Cronkite News 8/2)

Committee Notice:
Oversight Hearing on "Indian lands: exploring resolutions to disputes concerning Indian tribes, state and local governments, and private landowners over land use and development" (August 2, 2012)

Related Stories:
Audio from House subcommittee hearing on tribal land issues (8/3)
Subcommittee on Indian and Alaska Native Affairs sets hearing (8/1)