For Immediate Release
April 24, 2024
Contact:
Mike Inacay (Schatz) at press@indian.senate.gov
CHAIR SCHATZ STATEMENT ON OVER $1 BILLION IN FEDERAL FUNDING ALLOCATED TO BUILD WATER, SANITATION INFRASTRUCTURE IN INDIAN COUNTRY
Schatz Helped Secure Funding in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Inflation Reduction Act
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), Chair of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, released the following statement after the Biden administration announced over $1 billion in federal funding to build out Tribal water and sanitation infrastructure. Specifically, the funding will help develop clean drinking water sources, reliable sewage systems, and effective solid waste disposal facilities in Tribal communities.
“For Native communities, water is a trust resource,” said Chair Schatz. “Making sure they have access to clean drinking water and adequate sanitation is a trust and treaty obligation of the federal government – one that we’re working to fulfill through investments like these.”
Schatz helped secure the funding as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act. The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs previously held an oversight hearing on water access in Native communities, convening federal officials and Native leaders from across the country.
The Biden administration also announced a new interagency effort between the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) and the Department of Health and Human Service’s Indian Health Service (IHS) to accelerate the delivery of Tribal water projects.
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