Bennet, Senate Democrats Urge Biden Administration to Prioritize New Water Infrastructure, Address Backlogs for Tribal Communities

Press Release

Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet joined 10 Senate Democrats in a letter to President Joe Biden requesting that the American Jobs Plan include clean and reliable water and sanitation projects for Tribal communities that currently lack access to clean drinking water systems.

"While the necessity of repairing existing water infrastructure is undeniable, for many rural tribal communities the investment in new water and sanitation connections is vital," wrote Bennet and the senators. "We commend the inclusion of $600 million for Indian Health Service (IHS) related construction, leasing, and improvement projects in the American Rescue Plan. We urge you to include additional direct investments in new water and wastewater service lines for tribal communities through the IHS Sanitation Facilities Construction (SFC) account or other related programs in your economic plan."

They continued, "Focusing solely on repairing and replacing existing water lines fails to address the lack of any water and wastewater lines to homes in many tribal communities. We appreciate your attention to this request and hope that you will incorporate a much-needed infusion of federal assistance in new water and sanitation infrastructure for Tribal communities into your Build Back Better plan. We look forward to working with you to advance your plans for long-term economic growth."

In March, Bennet introduced a resolution reaffirming the federal government's responsibility to provide access to clean drinking water for Native American communities.

In addition to Bennet, the letter was signed by U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Angus King (I-Maine), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Ron Wyden (D-Wis.), and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.).

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