110 STAT. 3654 PUBLIC LAW 104-301—OCT. 11, 1996 (3) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.— Nothing in paragraph (1) or (2) shall preclude the Tribe, or the United States on the Tribe's behalf, from asserting objections to water rights and uses on the basis of the Tribe's water rights on its currently existing trust lands. (c) APPLICABILITY OF STATE LAW ON LANDS OTHER THAN NEWLY ACQUIRED LANDS.— The Tribe, and the United States on the Tribe's behalf, further recognize that State law applies to water uses on lands, including subsurface estates, that exist within the exterior boundaries of newly acquired trust lands and that are owned by any party other thsin the Tribe. (d) ADJUDICATION OF WATER RIGHTS ON NEWLY ACQUIRED TRUST LANDS. —The Tribe's water rights on newly acquired trust lands shall be adjudicated with the rights of all other competing users in the court now presiding over the Little Colorado River Adjudication, or if that court no longer has jurisdiction, in the appropriate State or Federal court. Any controversies between or among users arising under Federal or State law involving the Tribe's water rights on newly acquired trust lands shall be resolved in the court now presiding over the Little Colorado River Adjudication, or, if that court no longer has jurisdiction, in the appropriate State or Federal court. Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to affect any court's jurisdiction: Provided, That the Tribe shall administer sdl water rights established in subsection (a). (e) PROHIBITION. — Water rights for newly acquired trust lands shall not be used, leased, sold, or transported for use off of such lands or the Tribe's other trust lands: Provided, That the Tribe may agree with other persons having junior water rights to subordinate the Tribe's senior water rights. Water rights for newly acquired trust lands can only be used on those lands or other trust lands of the Tribe located within the same river basin tributary to the main stream of the Colorado River. (f) SUBSURFACE INTERESTS. —On any newly acquired trust lands where the subsurface interest is owned by any party other than the Tribe, the trust status of the surface ownership shall not impair any existing right of the subsurface owner to develop the subsurface interest and to have access to the surface for the purpose of such development. (g) STATUTORY CONSTRUCTION WITH RESPECT TO WATER RIGHTS OF OTHER FEDERALLY RECOGNIZED INDIAN TRIBES.— Nothing in this section shall affect the water rights of any other federally recognized Indian tribe with a priority date earlier than the date the newly acquired trust lands are taken into trust. (h) STATUTORY CONSTRUCTION.— Nothing in this section shall be construed to determine the law applicable to water use on lands owned by the United States, other than on the newly acquired trust lands. The granting of the right to make beneficial use of imappropriated surface water on the newly acquired trust lands with a priority date such lands are taken into trust shall not be construed to imply that such right is a Federal reserved water
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