Kent Conrad: “there are still parts of this country where having access to a clean, reliable water supply is not guaranteed. Believe…”

“there are still parts of this country where having access to a clean, reliable water supply is not guaranteed. Believe it or not, there are still places, many of which are on Indian reservations, where individuals must haul their daily water for drinking, cooking, and cleaning. Over the years, Congress has authorized several municipal, rural and industrial water supply projects for tribes; however, funding for those projects has lagged significantly. This, coupled with construction costs that are increasing on average about 10 percent a year, makes it difficult for tribes to assemble cost-effective bid packages to get these projects built in a reasonable time frame. As a result, many of the projects have stalled or have yet to be built. One mechanism to address this dilemma would be to allow tribes to utilize flexible financing to construct these vital projects. Under this option, tribes could issue tax exempt bonds or enter into other loans to construct these projects now, and then utilize Federal appropriations to pay financing costs over time.”