VIDEO: Congresswoman Stansbury Testifies in Support of Her Tribal Water Security Legislation
VIDEO LINK: Watch here.
WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Representative Melanie Stansbury (N.M.-01), a member of the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife (WOW) and the Subcommittee for Indigenous Peoples of the United States, testified on how her bipartisan WaterSMART Access for Tribes Act would help Tribes access key funding to address water resources management during a WOW legislative hearing.
The hearing comes as the West experiences the worst drought in 1,200 years, and during Rep. Stansbury’s Water Action Month. In the coming weeks, Rep. Stansbury is expected to introduce a suite of water bills, including a federal Water Data Act, to build on the success of her state-focused New Mexico Water Data Act and revolutionize national water management during an age of changing hydrologic systems.
The bipartisan WaterSMART Access for Tribes Act gives the Secretary of the Interior the authority to waive or reduce cost-share requirements for Tribes to implement drought and water projects under the Bureau of Reclamation’s WaterSMART program. To date, fewer than five percent of the projects funded under WaterSMART since its inception have been led by Tribes or Pueblos. The WaterSMART program consolidated several water conservation authorities under the Bureau of Reclamation to support water conservation, water-use efficiency, drought planning, and water reuse and recycling projects.
“For more than a decade, the US Department of the Interior's WaterSMART program has provided hundreds of grants to communities across the West as one of our nation's premier water conservation programs,” said Rep. Stansbury. “Yet, Tribes have received fewer than 5% of these grants in spite of the huge need across Tribal communities, because of burdens and cost sharing requirements, which have acted as a significant barrier to accessing these funds. That is why the bill I am presenting today authorizes the Secretary of Interior to remove these barriers and unlock millions of dollars that are vitally needed to invest in Tribal water projects.”
Congresswoman Stansbury, a member of the House Natural Resources Committee, introduced the bipartisan legislation with lead cosponsors Representatives Leger Fernández (N.M.-03), Steven Horsford (Nev.-04), Ruben Gallego (Ariz.-07), Jared Huffman (Calif.-02), Tom Cole (Okla.-04), Grace Napolitano (Calif.-32), Joe Neguse (Colo.-02), and Jim Costa (Calif.-16).
Since introduction, the legislation has gained momentum with 14 bipartisan cosponsors.
The full text of the WaterSMART Access for Tribes Act can be found here.
Rep. Stansbury’s remarks as prepared for delivery can be found below.
Thank you so much for the opportunities to present this important legislation today. I am here today to discuss H.R. 6238, which is the WaterSMART Access for Tribes Act. But I want to also thank you for hearing other important pieces of Tribal water legislation today, including the bill that was just presented and Representative Neguse’s Tribal Access to Clean Water Act, which I am also a proud co-sponsor of.
As we know, water is life. Water is sacred, and water is essential to everything that we do. And yet, for many of our Tribal and Indigenous communities, access to water, water infrastructure, and funding needed to build and maintain this infrastructure have remained out of reach. In fact, across the Navajo Nation–and we are so honored to have our president Nez here with us today– it is estimated that 30 to 40% of Diné homes do not have access to running water.
Within my own district, the To’hajiilee chapter, it has lived for years without safe drinking water, having to haul water from miles away for use in homes, public buildings, and even the local senior center. Pueblos across New Mexico also have been without sufficient funding to address water infrastructure needs, including funding for irrigation, drinking water, and other water security needs across our Tribal nations.
In the year 2022, as the West is facing an unprecedented drought, it is unconscionable that we have not summoned the moral courage and the political will to address these issues. That is why the WaterSMART Access for Tribes Act, Representative Neguse’s bill, and the other pieces of legislation we are hearing, that advance opportunities for Tribal water security are so crucial.
Years of underinvestment in Tribal water infrastructure have impacted the abilities of our Tribes and Pueblos to address their water needs. In fact, Tribal communities are 19 times more likely to not have access to clean water, and it's estimated that nationwide, almost half of the Tribal homes on Tribal lands lack access to adequate water or sanitation.
But make no mistake, our Tribes and Pueblos have lived on these lands and on these rivers for countless generations since time immemorial. Practicing ways of life and resource stewardship that have resiliently lasted the test of time, but as communities have grown infrastructure has aged and drought and water security have intensified. The need to address water security needs has grown ever more acute.
Our WaterSMART Access for Tribes act is but one tool to unlock critically needed resources to address water security. For more than a decade, the US Department of the Interior's WaterSMART program has provided hundreds of grants to communities across the West as one of our nation's premier water conservation programs.
Yet tribes have received fewer than 5% of these grants in spite of the huge need across Tribal communities, because of burdens and cost sharing requirements, which have acted as a significant barrier to accessing these funds. That is why the bill I am presenting today authorizes the Secretary of Interior to remove these barriers and unlock millions of dollars that are vitally needed to invest in Tribal water projects. This includes projects for addressing drought, water conservation, efficiency, reuse and recycling.
Water is fundamental to the social, economic and cultural needs of our Indigenous communities. This bipartisan legislation will break down economic barriers to addressing these needs, and coupled with the investments that are in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and the budget that we just passed, will unlock millions of dollars to support our Tribal communities.
In the coming days. I will also be introducing additional bipartisan bicameral water legislation, including a reauthorization of the Pueblo Indian Irrigation Fund, legislation to improve water security across the entire Rio Grande basin, and to improve water data and science to address our water needs across the West. The time is now to address these needs. And I want to thank you, Mr. Chairman and Ranking Member once again for your consideration. I am happy to answer any questions you have and I look forward to working together to address water security across the West.
###