II 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 421 

To amend the America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018 to expand the 

Indian reservation drinking water program, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

FEBRUARY 24, 2021 

Mr. WYDEN (for himself and Mr. MERKLEY) introduced the following bill; 

which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Indian Affairs 

A BILL 

To amend the America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018 

to expand the Indian reservation drinking water program, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Western Tribal Water 

5 Infrastructure Act of 2021’’. 

6 SEC. 2. INDIAN RESERVATION DRINKING WATER PROGRAM. 

7 Section 2001 of the America’s Water Infrastructure 

8 Act of 2018 (42 U.S.C. 300j–3c note; Public Law 115– 

9 270) is amended— 

10 (1) in subsection (a)— 


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1 (A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), 

2 by striking ‘‘Subject to the availability of appro3 priations, the Administrator’’ and inserting 

4 ‘‘The Administrator’’; 

5 (B) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 

6 the end; 

7 (C) in paragraph (2), by striking the pe8 riod at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

9 (D) by adding at the end the following: 

10 ‘‘(3) 10 eligible projects described in subsection 

11 (b) that are within— 

12 ‘‘(A) the Columbia River Basin; or 

13 ‘‘(B) a coastal basin adjacent to the Co14 lumbia River.’’; 

15 (2) in subsection (b)(1)— 

16 (A) by striking ‘‘is on a reservation’’ and 

17 inserting the following: ‘‘is on— 

18 ‘‘(A) a reservation’’; 

19 (B) in subparagraph (A) (as so des20 ignated), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end and in21 serting ‘‘or’’; and 

22 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

23 ‘‘(B) an off-reservation site that serves an 

24 Indian Tribe described in subsection (c)(2)(B); 

25 and’’; 


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1 (3) in subsection (c)— 

2 (A) by striking the subsection designation 

3 and heading and all that follows through ‘‘In 

4 carrying out’’ and inserting the following: 

5 ‘‘(c) REQUIREMENTS.— 

6 ‘‘(1) UPPER MISSOURI RIVER BASIN.—In car7 rying out’’; and 

8 (B) by adding at the end the following: 

9 ‘‘(2) COLUMBIA RIVER BASIN.—In carrying out 

10 the program under subsection (a)(3), the Adminis11 trator of the Environmental Protection Agency 

12 shall— 

13 ‘‘(A) give priority to projects that respond 

14 to emergency situations where a lack of access 

15 to clean drinking water threatens the health of 

16 Tribal populations; 

17 ‘‘(B) select not fewer than 1 eligible 

18 project that serves 1 or more Tribal commu19 nities of federally recognized Indian Tribes the 

20 Federal recognition of which has been termi21 nated and subsequently restored; and 

22 ‘‘(C) ensure that not fewer than 1 eligible 

23 project under that subsection is carried out 

24 in— 


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1 ‘‘(i) the area described in subpara2 graph (A) of that subsection; and 

3 ‘‘(ii) an area described in subpara4 graph (B) of that subsection.’’; 

5 (4) by redesignating subsection (d) as sub6 section (e); 

7 (5) by inserting after subsection (c) the fol8 lowing: 

9 ‘‘(d) FEDERAL SHARE.—The Federal share of a 

10 project carried out under this section shall be 100 per11 cent.’’; and 

12 (6) in subsection (e) (as so redesignated), by 

13 striking ‘‘$20,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2019 

14 through 2022’’ and inserting ‘‘$50,000,000 for each 

15 of fiscal years 2021 through 2024’’. 

Æ 


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