WATCH: Kelly Introduces Tribal Leaders and Highlights Arizona Water Settlement at Senate Indian Affairs Hearing

Today, during a Senate Committee on Indian Affairs hearing on his Northeastern Arizona Indian Water Rights Settlement Agreement (NAIWRSA), Arizona Senator Mark Kelly delivered remarks and introduced Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren, Hopi Tribe Chairman Lamar Keevama, and San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe Vice President Johnny Lehi Jr.

Kelly underscored the need to expand reliable water access in Arizona and how this legislation would secure Tribes' water future: "Access to clean, reliable water shouldn't be a question in the United States, but it still is for far too many families in Northeastern Arizona. On the Navajo Nation alone, roughly one in three homes does not have running water. The Hopi and San Juan Southern Paiute communities face similar challenges. This settlement is a major step forward, securing the Tribe's water future while providing long needed certainty for Arizona and the entire Colorado River Basin. Without it, uncertainty over tribal water claims will persist, affecting not only the tribes but also the communities across the region that depend on clean, clear, and reliable water management."

Kelly also thanked the Tribal leaders for their work to strengthen the agreement and urged his colleagues to support the legislation, noting that the updated settlement reflects years of negotiation and is backed by a broad coalition across northeastern Arizona.

Sen. Kelly introduces tribal leaders at a Senate Committee on Indian Affairs hearing.

Click here to download a video of Kelly's remarks. See the transcript below:

Sen. Kelly:

Thank you, Chair Murkowski, Vice Chairman Schatz. Thank you for holding today's hearing on the Northeastern Arizona Indian Water Rights Settlement Act. It's my honor to introduce Navajo President Buu Nygren, Hopi Chairman Lamar Keevama, and San Juan's Southern Paiute Vice President Johnny Lehi.

President Nygren was elected to serve as the 10th Navajo Nation president in November 2022. President Nygren has a doctorate from the University of Southern California. He has been leading the Navajo Nation through the negotiation of the Northeastern Arizona Indian Water Rights Settlement.

Chairman Keevama was elected to lead the Hopi Tribal Council in 2025. A former multi-term councilmember, he has worked extensively on water rights, energy policy, and economic development. He previously served as the manager of the Hopi Cultural Center and as a director of the Hopi Tribe Economic Development Corporation, reflecting a long record of leadership and service to the Hopi people.

Vice President Lehi currently serves as the Vice President of the San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe. He was first elected to the council in May of 2022 and served as President prior to his current role. Vice President Lehi is serving, as did his father, Johnny Lehi Sr., who was on the Tribal Council when the Tribe was originally recognized in December of 1989, and who was the Tribe's president when he negotiated and signed the land treaty in 2000.

Access to clean, reliable water shouldn't be a question in the United States, but it still is for far too many families in Northeastern Arizona. On the Navajo Nation alone, roughly one in three homes does not have running water. The Hopi and San Juan Southern Paiute communities face similar challenges. This settlement is a major step forward, securing the Tribe's water future while providing long needed certainty for Arizona and the entire Colorado River Basin. Without it, uncertainty over tribal water claims will persist, affecting not only the tribes but also the communities across the region that depend on clean, clear, and reliable water management.

I also want to thank this committee for the hearing that you held on a previous version of this legislation in 2024. That hearing helps surface important questions from members and stakeholders. Since then, the Tribes, the state of Arizona and other partners have continued working to strengthen the agreement. The result is the updated legislation before us today. It's built on years of negotiation and supported by more than 30 parties across the region.

Finally, President Nygren, Chairman Keevama, and Vice President Lehi, I want to thank you for your commitment to your communities. This is a large and complex agreement, and you and your teams deserve recognition for the decades of persistence, collaboration, and dedication it took to reach this point.

I urge my colleagues to support this important bill as it moves through the committee process. I will also be submitting dozens of letters of support from stakeholders across Northeastern Arizona that underscore the critical importance of this legislation and the broad coalition that supports this settlement. Again, Chair Murkowski and Vice Chairman Schatz, thank you for holding the hearing today on this important and historic legislation. Thank you.