California Senators Introduce Legislation to Recognize Tule River Tribe's Water Rights

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Dianne Feinstein, both Democrats, introduced legislation last Thursday to formally recognize the Tule River Tribe's reserved water rights.

Senate Bill 4870, which also quantifies the amount of water from the south fork of the Tule River that Tribe has rights to and provides up to $568 million in funding, was referred to the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. The legislation would finalize a multi-decade effort by the Tule River Tribe to provide clean drinking water.

As California and the West continue to experience a historic megadrought, the bill would help provide water security to Tule River citizens "now and for generations to come," Padilla said in a statement today.

https://nativenewsonline.net/environment/california-senators-introduce-legislation-to-recognize-tule-river-tribe-s-water-rights