New legislation introduced in the U.S. House would allocate $2.6 billion to the Indian Health Service Sanitation Facilities Construction Program, to improve multiple critical sanitation projects in Indian Country.
The legislation updates a bill introduced by Reps. Don Young, R-Alaska, and Rep. Tom O’Halleran, D-Ariz., in the 116th Congress to address the Indian Health Service’s updated 2019 Sanitation Facilities Deficiency List, which details sanitation deficiency levels for tribal homes and communities nationwide.
“Safe, clean water and sewer infrastructure are essential to protecting public health, particularly as we continue working to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic,” Young said.
Too many Native villages possess water infrastructure and sewage systems that are aging or in various states of disrepair, many still relying on unsafe systems like honey buckets, Young said. “Reliable water infrastructure is critical to the health and well-being of Alaska Native families,” he said. “Congress should be making crucial investments in long-term infrastructure projects in Native communities across the country.”
