The Bureau of Reclamation has expedited the release of $120 million for the Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project, lawmakers said, following Senate questioning over delays in distributing previously approved funds.
U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., pressed Bureau of Reclamation Acting Commissioner Scott Cameron during a March 11 Senate Committee on Indian Affairs hearing about why the funding had not yet been released from the Reclamation Water Settlements Fund.
During the hearing, Cameron described the Navajo-Gallup project as “the number one priority for the Water Settlement Fund” and “the biggest construction project in the Bureau of Reclamation,” adding the agency is working to meet its obligations. He also said he was “not aware” of any holdup in releasing the $120 million.
Days later, Luján and members of New Mexico’s congressional delegation announced that the…
