Committee urges Congress to divest San Carlos Irrigation Project electric system from BIA
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Summary
The committee passed Senate Concurrent Memorial 1007 urging the U.S. Congress and the Bureau of Indian Affairs to divest the San Carlos Irrigation Project electric system and to fund a system study and improvements. Proponents told the committee the system is dilapidated and public power entities stand ready to absorb employees; the memorial passed 9‑0 with one member absent.
The House committee unanimously returned Senate Concurrent Memorial 1007 with a due‑pass recommendation urging Congress to authorize divestment of the San Carlos Irrigation Project (SCIP) electric system from the Bureau of Indian Affairs and to provide funding for a system study and necessary improvements.
The proponent described persistent reliability problems on the San Carlos Reservation and neighboring communities and said federal ownership via the BIA has left the system "very shoddy." Proponent testimony said public power entities, including several co‑ops and municipal systems and the Gila River Indian Community, have explored taking over the system and would work to ensure employees are absorbed. "For the last 2 years, we in the public power world have been looking at how would we help them divest that," Russell Smolden told the committee on behalf of the Arizona Municipal Power Users Association.
Representative Martinez described outages and poor service in LD‑16 and said the memorial aims to "put some pressure on this so that we can get this bill across, so the federal government will know that we mean business." Smolden said a federal appropriations report language has been drafted and that Congress must provide authorization for the BIA to divest the system.
The clerk called the roll and reported 9 ayes, 0 nays, 1 absent; Chair Griffin announced the memorial passed the committee with a due‑pass recommendation. No amendments were offered in committee.