Ryan is a valued resource when it comes to western water and Indian law issues. Having served as a senior legislative advisor to U.S. Senate Minority Whip, Jon Kyl, for over five years, Ryan has been instrumental in the development of federal legislation relating to Indian tribes and western natural resources.

Ryan has successfully ushered through Congress several significant pieces of legislation concerning Indian water settlements, the Colorado River and federal funding for Indian Country. In his capacity as senior legislative staff, Ryan also interacted extensively with the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture on legislative and other federal issues.

Prior to joining Senator Kyl’s staff, Ryan was deputy counsel for the Arizona Department of Water Resources. There, he represented the State of Arizona in connection with Indian water settlements, and surface and groundwater management. Ryan also advised the Director of the Department of Water Resources during negotiations with other Colorado River Basin states concerning the Colorado River’s operating criteria as well as the United States’ Colorado River treaty obligation with Mexico. He also served as counsel to the Arizona Water Banking Authority, which is responsible for storing Arizona’s unused Colorado River apportionment. 

Ryan previously served as an associate at Robbins & Green, P.A. (now part of Jennings Strouss & Salmon) in Phoenix where he practiced commercial litigation. He also served as a legal intern for Senator John McCain and as an extern for The Honorable Brian R. Hauser of the Superior Court of Arizona.

Legislative Accomplishments

Ryan's legislative accomplishments in Congress include:

• The Claims Resolution Act of 2010 (P.L. 111 – 291) - Authorizes and confirms four Indian water settlements totaling nearly $1 billion, including the White Mountain Apache Tribe Water Rights Quantification Act, and a $3.4 billion settlement of financial mismanagement claims brought by American Indians against the United States Department of the Interior (Cobell v. Salazar, Secretary of the Department of the Interior). The White Mountain Apache settlement, which was Ryan’s primary responsibility, authorizes $292 million in federal funding for the White Mountain Apache Tribe in consideration for the tribe waiving its water rights claims against the United States.
• The Lower Colorado River Multi-species Program Act (P.L. 111-11, Title IX, Subtitle E) - Authorizes approximately $313 million in federal funding to cover the federal government’s share of the cost of a comprehensive, cooperative effort among 50 federal and non-federal entities in Arizona, California, and Nevada to protect and maintain wildlife habitat along the Colorado River. It also provides assurances to the affected water and power agencies of the three states that their vital river operations may continue as long as they comply with the applicable conservation program.
• The Emergency Fund For Indian Safety and Health (P.L. 110-293, Title VI) – Authorizes $2 billion in federal funding for law enforcement, water settlements, and health care in Indian Country.
• The Sierra Vista Subwatershed Feasibility Study Act (P.L. 111-11, Title IX, Subtitle A) – Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to study ways to add to the water supply in the Sierra Vista Subwatershed, which is home to Fort Huachuca, the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area (SPRNCA), and nearly 76,000 residents in southern Arizona.
• The White Mountain Apache Tribal Rural Water System Loan Authorization Act (P.L. 110-390) – Authorizes a $10 million federal loan to the White Mountain Apache Tribe for the planning, engineering, and design of a drinking water project on the tribe’s reservation.
• An Amendment to the Arizona Water Settlements Act (P.L. 110-148) - Amends the Arizona Water Rights Settlements Act to ensure that the underlying legislation, which authorized the largest Indian water settlement in United States history, became effective.

Representative Matters

• Represent one of the largest Indian tribes in the country in connection with federal legislation confirming its water settlement with the United States.
•  Represent a major California water district in an appeal to the Ninth Circuit concerning an endangered species in the San Joaquin Valley in California.
• Represent Rosemont Copper in developing one of the largest copper mines in the world, advising the company on all aspects of obtaining NEPA and Endangered Species permitting issues.