Funding comes from senators’ Inflation Reduction Act
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet welcomed the U.S. Department of Interior’s (DOI) announcement of $7.5 million in federal investment to expand clean drinking water access for the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe. Specifically, the funding will help the Ute Mountain Ute plan and complete 18 miles of a 22-mile waterline to connect Cortez and Towaoc and deliver clean water to the community.
Two weeks ago, the senators urged the Bureau of Reclamation to explore new opportunities for the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe and Southern Ute Indian Tribe to access federal funding for drought and water supply management.
“Our tribal communities have long lacked adequate resources to reliably access clean drinking water,” said Hickenlooper. “Thanks to our Inflation Reduction Act, we’re changing that. This $7.5 million will connect Cortez and Towaoc to deliver clean drinking water and create good-paying jobs for the Ute Mountain Ute.”
“When the federal government established reservations for Native American Tribes, it promised a permanent and livable homeland for those it had displaced from their ancestral lands. At a time when our country’s Tribes still lack reliable access to clean and safe water in the 21st century, that promise clearly has been denied and critical tribal water infrastructure like this pipeline should be a priority for the federal government,” said Bennet. “This funding is an important step forward to ensure more members of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe can continue to access clean water, and I’m grateful to the Biden/Harris administration for working to fulfill our nation’s promises.”
“Investing in water infrastructure projects is crucial to ensuring the health, safety and economic prosperity of Indigenous communities,” said Secretary Haaland. “This new program, funded by the President’s Investing in America agenda, will help us ensure all Tribal families and communities have access to the clean, safe drinking water they need in order to thrive.”
“The Ute Mountain Ute Tribe considers water and its watersheds as a sacred and vital element to life. Stewardship of the environment allows life to flourish and is an obligation of our tribe and people. This grant is a crucial step in finishing the project that we’ve been working on for over 14 years to make sure everyone in our community has access to drinking water,” said Ute Mountain Ute Tribe Chairman Manuel Heart.
The Ute Mountain Ute’s project is one of 23 projects the DOI selected to receive $82 million from the Inflation Reduction Act’s $550 million allocated for domestic water supply projects for historically disadvantaged communities.
Hickenlooper and Bennet fought for $8 billion for western water infrastructure, $10 billion for forests, $19 billion for agricultural conservation, and $4 billion for drought in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
Full list of selected projects available HERE.
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