Deb Haaland Secretary at U.S. Department of Interior | Official website
WASHINGTON — The Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation and Indian Health Service (IHS) have joined forces to enhance safe drinking water and community sanitation infrastructure projects across Indian Country. The announcement was made at the White House’s Clean Water Summit, with key figures including Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Water and Science Michael Brain, Indian Health Service Deputy Director Benjamin Smith, and Yakama Nation Chairman Gerald Lewis in attendance.
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Water and Science Michael Brain emphasized the importance of modern water infrastructure, stating, “Having modern water infrastructure is crucial to the health of our kids and families, economic opportunity, job creation, and responding to the intensifying effects of climate change.”
Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton highlighted the significance of the collaboration, stating, “This Administration’s all-of-government approach allows us to leverage funds from historic investments through President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda to go even further for Tribal communities.”
Indian Health Service Director Roselyn Tso stressed the essential nature of safe and reliable water systems, noting, “Having access to safe and reliable water systems is an essential matter of public health.”
The Memorandum of Understanding between the agencies aims to accelerate the completion of domestic water infrastructure projects in Tribal communities. A potential pilot project on the Yakama Reservation in Washington State has been identified, with plans to construct a treatment system to remove arsenic from the water supply.
The Biden-Harris administration's commitment to investing in Tribal water and sanitation infrastructure is evident through various initiatives, including the allocation of funds from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act. The Indian Health Service has announced allocation decisions of $700 million in Fiscal Year 2024 to further support water and sanitation projects in Native American communities.
President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, which represents the largest investment in climate resilience in the nation’s history, aims to enhance Western communities’ resilience to drought and climate change, including expanding access to clean water in Tribal communities. The Bureau of Indian Affairs has dedicated $250 million towards repairing Tribal water infrastructure, showcasing the administration's dedication to addressing critical water needs in Indian Country.
