Bringing the Earth Week into strong focus, the White House hosted a summit on Wednesday where the Biden-Harris Administration put forth an aggressive new strategy aimed at the conservation and restoration of the nation's freshwater systems. In a significant move to tackle the pressing issue of water quality and access, the Administration announced over $1 billion earmarked for clean water projects in Tribal areas, as per a White House fact sheet.
Emphasizing the critical role of freshwater in the American landscape, President Biden and Vice President Harris have unveiled the "America the Beautiful Freshwater Challenge.” This initiative sets an ambitious goal to conserve and restore a substantial 8 million acres of wetlands and 100,000 miles of rivers and streams. Moreover, more than 100 groups across the country have already pledged to push for freshwater restoration in their territories, despite, the intersecting challenges that this essential mission faces, such as last year’s Supreme Court Sackett ruling which significantly scaled back federal wetland protections.
According to the White House release, the Department of Health and Human Services’ Indian Health Services and the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation are injecting $700 million and $320 million respectively to help facilitate immediate improvements in drinking water and sanitation infrastructure in Indian Country. This financial injection is a response to the fact that roughly half of Tribal households currently lack access to clean drinking water or adequate sanitation.
Yet, the Administration's attention is not solely fixed on freshwater and Tribal communities. The Department of the Interior also announced a separate $11 million in resources from the Bureau of Reclamation’s WaterSMART program, aiming to combat the dire conditions of the Western megadrought. Additionally, initiatives like a new $70 million funding for the removal or renovation of aging dams and other barriers offer promising support to rejuvenate local economies and ecosystems battered by time and circumstance.
HUD's recently published Federal Flood Risk Management Standard final rule stands as another testament to the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to environmental stewardship and climate resilience. This rule intends to build stronger, flood-resistant infrastructure in vulnerable areas, potentially saving lives and federal funds. NOAA's announcement of $123 million to support coastal management programs, with a considerable chunk aimed at projects in partnership with or led directly by Tribes and Native Hawaiians, underscores a growing recognition and respect for indigenous stewardship of the land.
The sweep of these announcements, which range from Tribal community support to broad environmental action, encapsulates the Biden-Harris Administration's approach to Earth Week as a springboard for sustainable policy and action. The Administration aims to envelop its environmental goals into a comprehensive, inclusive week-long agenda that promises cleaner water, air, and a resilient infrastructure capable of weathering the not-so-distant climate challenges on America’s horizon.
