Issued: Jun 28, 2023 (3:31pm EDT)

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Biden-Harris Administration Announces over $278 Million in Funding to Improve Water Infrastructure for Tribes and Alaska Native Villages

EPA announces its largest investment of annual water infrastructure funding ever for Tribes and Alaska Native Villages through President's Biden's Investing in America agenda

WASHINGTON (June 28, 2023) – Today, at an event with Lummi Nation in Bellingham, Washington, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Assistant Administrator for Water Radhika Fox, announced over $278 million in funding to improve access to safe and reliable drinking water and wastewater services for American Indian Tribes and Alaska Native Villages. Thanks to the boost from President Biden's historic Investing in America agenda, this year, EPA is providing its largest investment ever of annual water infrastructure funding to Tribes. The funding will help Tribes and Alaska Native Villages make significant investments in water infrastructure improvements to advance public health protections by improving compliance with existing water regulations, identifying and replacing lead service lines, and addressing harmful emerging contaminants in drinking water and wastewater, such as per- and polyfluorinated substances (PFAS).

"For too long, Tribes have struggled without access to basic water services—impacting their health and economic well-being. Today's funding announcement is a generational investment that moves us closer to achieving a future where all Tribes have access to safe drinking water and wastewater services," said Assistant EPA Administrator for Water Radhika Fox. "Thanks to President Biden's commitment to equitable investment in infrastructure through the Investing in America agenda, progress will be made for places that need it most including Tribes that don't currently have access to safe drinking water and wastewater services."

The funding will be administered through the following programs:

$64 million in FY 2023 Clean Water Indian Set-Aside (CWISA) through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and annual appropriation funds;
$130.3 million in FY 2023 Drinking Water Infrastructure Grants through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and annual appropriation funds;
$38.6 million in combined FY 2022 and FY 2023 Emerging Contaminants in Small or Disadvantaged Communities (EC-SDC) Tribal Grant Program through Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funds;
$5.6 million in combined FY 2022 and FY 2023 Small, Underserved, and Disadvantaged Communities (SUDC) Tribal Grant Program through annual appropriation funds, and
$39.6 million in FY 2023 Alaska Rural and Native Villages (ANV) Grant Program through annual appropriation funds.

"This funding opportunity isn't just a great opportunity for our Nation, but a great opportunity for all Tribal Nations that are looking for assistance with tribal water systems," said Lummi Vice Chairman Terrence Adams. "Tribal people have an important relationship with the water, and we believe that it is our inherent responsibility to take care of the water as it cares for us."

"Clean water is a human right that for too long historically underserved communities have lacked access to, including Tribal communities," said U.S. Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02), Ranking Member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. "Today's funding, the nation's single largest commitment to Tribal water infrastructure, will help ensure all people have access to safe and clean water, no matter where they live. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law continues to make investments that will improve lives, level the playing field, and create jobs."

Additional information on Grant Programs:

Some of the funding for today's announcement comes from the new Emerging Contaminants in Small or Disadvantaged Communities (EC-SDC) Tribal Grant Program. For the first time, EPA will provide $38.6 million to address emerging contaminants, including PFAS, in drinking water systems serving Tribal populations. This announcement also includes an implementation manual for the new program that focuses on assisting small tribal public water systems in identifying and/or remediating challenges related to PFAS and other emerging contaminants.

Approximately $5.6 million of today's funding announcement comes from the Small, Underserved and Disadvantaged Communities Tribal Grant Program. This tribal grant program is designed to help public water systems in underserved and small tribal communities gain access to drinking water services and comply with Safe Drinking Water Act requirements.

Finally, today's announcement also includes funding for the Alaska Rural and Native Villages (ANV) Grant Program, which is a program that has been in place since 1996. This $39.6 million in funding will support Alaska Native Villages with the construction of high priority drinking water and wastewater facilities in rural Alaska as well as training, technical assistance, and educational programs in support of sustainable water systems.

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These investments totaling more than $278 million are part of President Biden's Investing in America agenda, which is growing the American economy from the bottom up and middle-out – from rebuilding our nation's infrastructure, to driving over $470 billion in private sector manufacturing and clean energy investments in the United States, to creating a manufacturing and innovation boom powered by good paying jobs that don't require a four-year degree, to building a clean-energy economy that will combat climate change and make our communities more resilient.

Background
The CWISA program provides funding for wastewater infrastructure to American Indian Tribes and Alaska Native Villages. The CWISA program was established under the 1987 amendments to the Clean Water Act (CWA). Funds may be used for planning, design, and construction of wastewater collection and treatment systems. The CWISA program is administered by the EPA in cooperation with the Indian Health Service (IHS) Division of Sanitation Facilities Construction program.

The Drinking Water Infrastructure Grants Tribal Set-Aside (DWIG-TSA) is a longstanding program funded from the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund that provides direct EPA support for tribal water infrastructure improvements. The Tribal SUDC program was created under the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) Act and provides support for Tribal drinking water. Infrastructure projects for these programs are primarily implemented in partnership with the Indian Health Service, who are partners with EPA in the Tribal Infrastructure Task Force (ITF). The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law builds on successful programs like the WIIN Act's Grant Programs and the DWIG-TSA to bring additional public health protections and drinking water improvements to more Tribal communities across the country.

EPA will continue to use the existing SUDC Tribal Grant Program Implementation Document, CWISA Program Guidance and DWIG-TSA Program Guidelines to guide implementation of those programs. In May 2022, EPA released the 2022 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Tribal Funding Memorandum to provide guidance on the implementation of CWISA and DWIG-TSA funding programs provided through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, including the set-asides for emerging contaminants and lead service line replacement projects.

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