September 28, 2023 3:00 a.m.

On Wednesday, Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley said that they and Senate colleagues have reintroduced a resolution emphasizing the federal government’s responsibility to provide access to clean drinking water for Tribal communities in Oregon and throughout the country.

Wyden said, “Everyone deserves access to clean water – yet today many Tribal communities across the country lack access to this vital natural resource”. Wyden said it’s time to reinvest and ramp up water infrastructure development in Oregon and nationwide to fully address inequalities in clean water access.

Merkley said, “Access to clean water and dependable water infrastructure is crucial to Tribal communities here in Oregon and across the nation”. Merkley said the resolution reaffirms the federal government’s responsibility to ensure Tribes in Oregon and beyond have access to clean, safe and dependable drinking water”.

The release said the lack of access to clean drinking water is a significant barrier for many Native American communities. According to Health and Human Services data, Native American households are 19 times more likely than white households to lack indoor plumbing. HHS said lack of access to drinking water hurts health, education, economic development and other aspects of daily life.

A text of the resolution is linked: https://www.bennet.senate.gov/public/_cache/files/d/c/dc5641ce-2b5a-4344-94aa-24cd4d01219e/3D36069342B07D6261F3E821D55D480B.tribal-clean-water-resolution.pdf