# 119-hr-10054: Chama Basin Watershed Protection Act

119-hr-10054, Chama Basin Watershed Protection Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Leger Fernandez, Teresa [D-NM-3] (D-NM); status introduced (as of 2026-08-22).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-10054
- As of: 2026-08-22
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-10054
- Congress: 119
- Title: Chama Basin Watershed Protection Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-08-06
- Sponsor: Rep. Leger Fernandez, Teresa [D-NM-3] (D-NM)
- Cosponsors: 0
- Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-08-22

## Summary

**Withdraws the federal mineral estate in the Rio Chama Watershed from location, entry, and patent under the mining laws.** This change aims to protect watershed lands while keeping historic and Tribal mineral rights intact. - Communities organized as a qualified land grant-merced and acequia members can still gather common‑variety materials like stone, sand, gravel, clay, adobe, and mineral earths for domestic, cultural, religious, ceremonial, subsistence, agricultural, or noncommercial construction purposes consistent with Federal law and National Forest System management. - Federally recognized Indian Tribes retain any right, title, interest, or claim in minerals they own or hold in trust; those Tribal mineral rights are not diminished or impaired. - Mining interests would be blocked from locating, entering, or patenting United States‑owned minerals inside the map‑defined Rio Chama Watershed boundary. *The bill would remove federal mining claim access to the mapped Rio Chama Watershed while explicitly preserving qualified land grant and Tribal mineral rights.*

## Provisions PRIA read

- Define tribes and land grants: benefit, low. If enacted, the bill would define who counts as an "Indian Tribe" for this Act using the Federally Recognized Indian Tribe List Act of 1994. It would define "qualified land grant‑merced" as a community land grant recognized under New Mexico law that has historic use on, or a patented outer boundary…
- Protect traditional mineral gathering rights: benefit, low. If enacted, the bill would say that nothing in the Act stops or limits members of qualified land grants, acequia communities, or other individuals from gathering common minerals like stone, sand, gravel, clay, adobe, and mineral earths for domestic, cultural, religious, ceremonial, subsistence, agr…
- Withdraw Rio Chama lands from mining: mixed, low. If enacted, the bill would withdraw Federal land inside the "Rio Chama Watershed" boundary shown on the April 22, 2026 map from all forms of location, entry, and patent under the mining laws. The withdrawal would apply only to minerals owned by the United States. It would explicitly preserve any ri…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act
- 119-hr-7481: Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2026
- 119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act
- 119-hr-3971: Domestic Workers Bill of Rights Act
- 119-hr-5356: National Infrastructure Bank Act of 2025
- 119-hr-3069: Medicare for All Act

## Sources
- [119-hr-10054 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/10054)

## Related
- [119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7977)
- [119-hr-7481: Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7481)
- [119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7973)
- [119-hr-3971: Domestic Workers Bill of Rights Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3971)
- [119-hr-5356: National Infrastructure Bank Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5356)
- [119-hr-3069: Medicare for All Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3069)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-10054 (as of 2026-08-22).