Deb Haaland Secretary at U.S. Department of Interior | Official website
SHELBYVILLE, Mich.— Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland announced today the availability of $120 million in new funding supported by President Biden’s Investing in America agenda to assist Tribal communities in preparing for severe climate-related environmental threats. The funds are intended for Tribes to plan for, adapt to, or respond to these threats by relocating critical community infrastructure.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act have significantly boosted the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ (BIA) Tribal Climate Resilience program, enabling historic levels of funding for Tribes and Tribal organizations. Secretary Haaland made this announcement during a visit to the Gun Lake Tribe in Michigan, which received $4 million last year through the Tribal Climate Annual Award for its Electric Infrastructure Implementation Project.
“As I’ve visited Indigenous communities across the country, I have seen firsthand how pressing the climate crisis is for Indigenous peoples and the urgency with which we must move to honor our obligations to Tribal Nations,” said Secretary Deb Haaland. “This investment through President Biden’s Investing in America agenda is a critical step toward further enabling Tribes to make thoughtful and proactive decisions about how to protect their people, their homelands and sacred sites, and critical community infrastructure.”
White House Domestic Policy Council Director Neera Tanden emphasized the administration's commitment: “The Biden-Harris administration is committed to ensuring that we are strong partners with Tribal Nations, and we are proud of these investments to address critical climate resiliency needs of Tribes across the country.”
Today's funding announcement is part of a nearly $560 million investment in Tribal climate resilience programs achieved through various legislative measures. This includes launching a first-ever Voluntary Community-Driven Relocation Program at the 2022 White House Tribal Nations Summit with an initial $135 million commitment.
“This historic investment reflects the Biden-Harris administration’s commitment to fulfilling the federal government’s trust responsibility of protecting Tribes’ ability to exist in their homelands in the face of a changing climate,” said Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Bryan Newland. “This funding provides Tribes with resources they need to develop and implement proactive strategies for their communities.”
The BIA will provide technical assistance through informational webinars, grant writing sessions, and virtual office hours. For more information on applying for these grants, interested parties can visit BIA’s Tribal Climate Resilience Annual Awards Program webpage or email resilience.funding@bia.gov.
President Biden's Investing in America agenda aims at deploying record investments across various sectors within every Tribal community. While in Michigan, Secretary Haaland and White House Domestic Policy Advisor Tanden also convened a roundtable discussion on increasing Tribal access to capital.
###
