U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that USDA is making investments to provide clean drinking water, sanitary wastewater systems and affordable high-speed internet to people in Tribal communities.
Secretary Vilsack made this announcement at the one of the nation’s largest Tribal economic development conferences, the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development’s Reservation Economic Summit in Las Vegas, Nevada. The announcement comes on the heels of USDA’s ongoing progress in removing long-standing systemic barriers to accessing USDA’s programs by Tribal nations and ensuring that, where appropriate, Tribally owned enterprises and also Tribal trust lands are eligible for USDA programs.
USDA is investing $58 million in Tribal communities in Nevada, Oklahoma and South Dakota. This funding will support economic development, high-speed internet deployment and modern infrastructure.
The projects are being financed through the ReConnect Program and the Water and Waste Facility Loans and Grants to Alleviate Health Risks on Tribal Lands Program.
USDA news release
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