S. 640: Technical Corrections to the Northwestern New Mexico Rural Water Projects Act, Taos Pueblo Indian Water Rights Settlement Act, and Aamodt Litigation Settlement Act

S. 640 is a narrow but important cleanup bill. It does not create a brand-new water settlement. Instead, it fixes older federal laws so certain tribal water settlement trust funds can receive additional money tied to interest calculations that were not properly handled before.

The bill affects three long-running water settlement efforts: the Navajo Nation Water Resources Development Trust Fund, the Taos Pueblo Water Development Fund, and the Aamodt Settlement Pueblos' Fund. In plain terms, Congress is saying those funds can receive extra appropriations to reflect adjusted interest amounts that should have been available under the original settlement structure.

The largest practical effect is financial. The bill authorizes about $6.36 million for the Navajo fund, about $7.79 million for the Taos Pueblo fund, and about $4.31 million for the Aamodt pueblos' fund. It also says investment earnings on these deposited amounts may be appropriated, and it waives certain payments that otherwise might have been owed back to the federal government under the Aamodt settlement.

Just as important, the bill tries to avoid reopening old legal questions. Its disclaimer language says these technical corrections do not undo or disturb earlier findings that key settlement conditions were already met. That means Congress is aiming to fix the accounting and legal mechanics without putting the underlying tribal water rights settlements back into doubt.