Press Releases

Today, U.S. Congressman Paul A. Gosar, D.D.S. (AZ-04) released the following statement upon receiving news that President Obama signed into law late Tuesday night the Congressman’s sponsored legislation H.R. 4924, the Bill Williams River Water Rights Settlement Act:

“With the president’s signature, my sponsored legislation now has the unanimous support of every single member of both the legislative and executive branches of our government. Very few meaningful bills have ever seen this type of bipartisan support and I consider this legislation to be one of Arizona’s biggest victories this year.

“The Gosar-Flake bill is a win-win for all involved. This legislation protects private property rights, supports 4,000 jobs (175 in Mohave County alone), facilitates an Indian water rights settlement and will result in a significant net water benefit to the basin and Mohave County. Incredibly, all this will be achieved without any federal expenditure. I want to thank the many parties involved, especially Senator Jeff Flake, for making this water rights settlement possible.”


Additional:

H.R. 4924 facilitates the achievement of a fair and equitable settlement of certain claims within the Bill Williams River watershed among the Hualapai Tribe, the U.S. Department of the Interior acting on behalf of itself and as trustee for the Tribe, the Arizona Game and Fish Commission, and Freeport McMoRan Minerals Corporation.

The bill is good for private property owners and good for local economies. The agreement will provide certainty for the Bagdad Mine, which has an annual economic impact of $339.1 million to the state of Arizona, and sustains nearly 4,000 direct and indirect jobs. The Hualapai Tribe benefits from this legislation by securing certain water rights from two non-federal contributions provided by Freeport-McMoRan for an Infrastructure Study Fund and an Economic Development Fund.

Arizona and Mohave County further benefit from the bill as this legislation will result in an overall net water use reduction in the basin and county of nearly 30,000 acre-feet per year. This reduction benefits residents in Lake Havasu and Bullhead City as this water can be put to use in future water and economic development projects. There is also a provision in the bill that allows for new public access for hunting and fishing. Mohave County further benefits by keeping 175 mining jobs and $16 million in economic benefit. Furthermore, the State of Arizona will pay Mohave County in full for all property tax revenue lost as a result of this legislation (just over $2,000 per year). 

Finally, while a fraction of the land at Planet Ranch will now be temporarily leased by the Bureau of Reclamation to assist with the Multi-Species Conservation Program (MSCP), all of this leased land will eventually be donated to the state by Freeport-McMoRan. Utilizing this land for MSCP purposes makes a lot of sense as the land is adjacent to the Bill Williams National Wildlife Refuge and such activities will prevent more animals from being listed as endangered species. This bill will also provide further certainty and benefits for existing water and power users in the region.   

Congressman Gosar has posted a fact sheet for H.R. 4924 on his website which can be found HERE.

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