Ensuring Clean Water Access for Native Communities: Federal Responsibility Affirmed.
This Senate Resolution affirms that reliable, clean drinking water is an essential human need and a core Federal trust responsibility toward Native communities. It calls for the executive branch to expedite water infrastructure development, crucially separating this process from complex Tribal water rights disputes. The goal is to address the severe lack of reliable water access affecting nearly half of Native households, improving public health and economic stability.
Key points
Affirms clean water access as an essential human need and a fundamental Federal trust responsibility for Native American, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian communities.
Calls for the immediate development of water infrastructure, explicitly decoupling it from the settlement or adjudication of Tribal reserved water rights.
Mandates a "whole-of-government" approach and urgent technical assistance to help Native communities manage and maintain new water systems funded by IIJA and IRA.
Expired
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