80 FR 76999 - Statement of Findings: Bill Williams River Water Rights Settlement Act of 2014

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Office of the Secretary

Federal Register Volume 80, Issue 238 (December 11, 2015)

The Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) is publishing this notice in accordance with section 9 of the Bill Williams River Water Rights Settlement Act of 2014 (P.L. 113-223) (Settlement Act). The publication of this notice causes the waivers and release of certain claims to become effective as required to implement the Settlement.

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 238 (Friday, December 11, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 76999-77000]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2015-31301]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Office of the Secretary

[16XD4523WS DS10100000 DWSN00000.000000 DP10020]


Statement of Findings: Bill Williams River Water Rights 
Settlement Act of 2014

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) is publishing this 
notice in accordance with section 9 of the Bill Williams River Water 
Rights Settlement Act of 2014 (P.L. 113-223) (Settlement Act). The 
publication of this notice causes the waivers and release of certain 
claims to become effective as required to implement the Settlement.

DATES: This notice is effective December 11, 2015.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Address all comments and requests for 
additional information to Ruth Thayer, Chair, Hualapai Tribe Water 
Rights Settlement Negotiation Team, Department of the Interior, Bureau 
of Reclamation, Lower Colorado Region, P.O. Box 61470, Boulder City, NV 
89006. (702) 293-8426.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Settlement Act directs the Secretary of 
the Interior to enter into the Big Sandy River-Planet Ranch Water 
Rights Settlement Agreement and the Hualapai Tribe Bill Williams River 
Water Rights Settlement Agreement, to provide for the lease of certain 
land located within Planet Ranch on the Bill Williams River in the 
State of Arizona to benefit the Lower Colorado River Multi-Species 
Conservation Program, and to provide for the settlement of specific 
water rights claims in the Bill Williams River watershed in the State 
of Arizona. The non-federal settling parties submitted a signed 
settlement agreement to Congress prior to enactment of the Settlement 
Act (Pub. L. 113-223). The purposes of the Settlement Act are:
    (1) To achieve a fair, equitable, and final settlement of certain 
claims among certain parties to water rights in the Bill Williams River 
watershed in the State of Arizona for
    (A) the Hualapai Tribe (acting on behalf of the Tribe and members 
of the Tribe); and
    (B) the Department of the Interior, acting on behalf of the 
Department and,

[[Page 77000]]

as specified, the United States as trustee for the Hualapai Tribe, the 
members of the Tribe, and the allottees;
    (2) to approve, ratify, and confirm
    (A) the Big Sandy River-Planet Ranch Water Rights Settlement 
Agreement (Big Sandy River-Planet Ranch Agreement) entered into among 
the Hualapai Tribe, the United States as trustee for the Tribe, the 
members of the Tribe and allottees, the Secretary of the Interior, the 
Arizona department of water resources (ADWR), Freeport Minerals 
Corporation, the Arizona Game and Fish Commission, to the extent the 
Big Sandy River-Planet Ranch Agreement is consistent with the 
Settlement Act;
    (B) the Hualapai Tribe Bill Williams River Water Rights Settlement 
Agreement (Hualapai Tribe Agreement) entered into among the Tribe, the 
United States as trustee for the Tribe, members of the Tribe, the 
allotees, and the Freeport Minerals Corporation, to the extent the 
Hualapai Tribe Agreement is consistent with the Settlement Act;
    (3) to authorize and direct the Secretary
    (A) to execute the duties and obligations of the Secretary under 
the Big Sandy River-Planet Ranch Agreement, the Hualapai Tribe 
Agreement, and the Settlement Act;
    (B)(i) to remove objections to the applications for the severance 
and transfer of certain water rights, in partial consideration of the 
agreement of the parties to impose certain limits on the extent of the 
use and transferability of the severed and transferred water rights and 
other water rights; and
    (ii) to provide confirmation of those water rights; and
    (C) to carry out any other activity necessary to implement the Big 
Sandy River-Planet Ranch Agreement and the Hualapai Tribe Agreement in 
accordance with the Settlement Act;
    (4) to advance the purposes of the Lower Colorado River Multi-
Species Conservation Program (Conservation Program);
    (5) to secure a long-term lease for a portion of Planet Ranch, 
along with appurtenant water rights primarily along the Bill Williams 
River corridor, for use in the Conservation Program;
    (6) to bring the leased portion of Planet Ranch into public 
ownership for the long-term benefit of the Conservation Program; and
    (7) to secure from the Freeport Minerals Corporation non-Federal 
contributions
    (A) to support a tribal water supply study necessary for the 
advancement of a settlement of the claims of the Tribe for rights to 
Colorado River water; and
    (B) to enable the Tribe to secure Colorado River water rights and 
appurtenant land, increase security of the water rights of the Tribe, 
and facilitate a settlement of the claims of the Tribe for rights to 
Colorado River water.

Statement of Findings

    In accordance with section 9 of the Settlement Act, section 
11.12(i) of the Amended and Restated Big Sandy River-Planet Ranch Water 
Rights Settlement Agreement, and section 10.13(i) of the Amended and 
Restated Hualapai Tribe Bill Williams River Water Rights Settlement 
Agreement, I find as follows:
    (1)(A) To the extent that the Big Sandy River-Planet Ranch 
Agreement or the Hualapai Tribe Agreement conflict with the Settlement 
Act, the applicable agreement has been revised to eliminate the 
conflict; and
    (B) the Big Sandy River-Planet Ranch Agreement, as revised, and the 
Hualapai Tribe Agreement, as revised, have been executed by all parties 
to those agreements;
    (2) Freeport Minerals Corporation has submitted to the Arizona 
Department of Water Resources (ADWR) a conditional amendment of the 
sever and transfer applications for the Lincoln Ranch water right and 
amendments to sever and transfer applications for Planet Ranch and 
Lincoln Ranch water rights consistent with section 4.2.1(ii)(a) of the 
Big Sandy River-Planet Ranch Agreement;
    (3) the Secretary and the Arizona Game and Fish Commission have 
executed and filed with ADWR a conditional withdrawal of each objection 
described in section 4(b)(3) of the Settlement Act and as provided in 
subsections 4.2.1(ii)(b) and 4.2.1(ii)(c) of the Big Sandy River-Planet 
Ranch Agreement;
    (4)(A) ADWR has issued a conditional order approving the sever and 
transfer applications of Freeport Minerals Corporation; and
    (B) all objections to the sever and transfer applications have been 
(i) conditionally withdrawn; or (ii) resolved in a decision issued by 
ADWR that is final and nonappealable;
    (5) notice has been provided to the parties to the Big Sandy River-
Planet Ranch Agreement and the Hualapai Tribe Agreement that the 
Department has completed the legally required environmental compliance 
described in section 8;
    (6) the steering committee for the Lower Colorado River Multi-
Species Conservation Program has approved and authorized the manager of 
the Conservation Program to execute the lease in the form as set forth 
in exhibit 2.33 to the Big Sandy River-Planet Ranch Agreement; and
    (7) the waivers and releases authorized by section 6 have been 
executed by the Tribe and the Secretary.

    Dated: December 7, 2015.
Sally Jewell,
Secretary of the Interior.
[FR Doc. 2015-31301 Filed 12-10-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4334-63-P