On Jan. 19, former President Joe Biden’s final full day in workplace, the Southern Ute Indian Tribe thought it might have no less than $19 million in federal funding to enhance a deteriorating irrigation system in southwestern Colorado.
Then the controversial nationwide funding freeze by President Donald Trump shoved the tribe’s plans into limbo.
The federally managed Pine River Indian Irrigation Undertaking has a decadeslong backlog of upkeep work that would price no less than $34.1 million to deal with, in response to the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The Southern Ute Indian Tribe was awarded a number of federal grants to assist enhance the system earlier than Trump introduced the freeze on Jan. 20, his first day in workplace.
“The tribe at present has 4 excellent purposes for federal funding that are being impacted by the freeze,” the tribe mentioned in a written assertion in late February.
This Contemporary Water Information story is a collaboration between The Colorado Solar and Water Schooling Colorado. It additionally seems at wateredco.org/fresh-water-news.
Different funding sources for the Pine River mission, like consumer charges for operations and upkeep, aren’t paused, in response to the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
The Trump administration’s funding freeze provides federal companies time to verify funded initiatives are aligned with the administration’s coverage targets on points like local weather change, and variety, fairness and inclusion applications.
However the freeze shortly prompted widespread confusion as individuals tried to grasp impacts to all the pieces from colleges to regulation enforcement and well being care methods.
Inside days, states, together with Colorado, sued to dam the freeze, saying it unconstitutionally usurped Congress’ energy of the purse, and the Trump administration rescinded a memo freezing spending. As of Thursday, two federal judges dominated to dam the freeze.
The result remains to be unclear for native grant recipients, like those that acquired funding for 17 environmental initiatives three days earlier than the freeze was introduced.
The Southern Ute Indian Tribe was a type of recipients. On Jan. 17, It was awarded as much as $16.7 million for its Pine River Atmosphere Drought Mitigation Undertaking, which might assist enhance fish passage and deteriorating infrastructure tied to the Pine River mission.
Officers are nonetheless awaiting details about the grant, however it hopes the cash will present up as promised, the tribe’s assertion mentioned.
Tribal officers are additionally unsure about different grants awarded in the course of the Biden administration.
The Bureau of Reclamation in Could 2024 awarded a $2.3 million WaterSMART grant to enhance infrastructure so the tribe can get its full share of water delivered to the Pine River Indian Irrigation Undertaking throughout dry years. However the grant is tied to Biden-era insurance policies that the Trump administration has focused, referred to as the Inflation Discount Act, or IRA, and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Regulation, or BIL.
“At the moment we’re not sure of the standing of the funding because it was funded by way of BIL/IRA funding,” the tribe’s assertion mentioned.
Lawmakers voice assist for funding
The Pine River mission and others prefer it have been understaffed and underfunded for many years, in response to the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
The Pine River mission is one among 16 related irrigation methods within the West, referred to as Indian Irrigation Tasks, run by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Elements of the initiatives are in full disrepair, they usually’ve been underfunded for therefore lengthy that it might price about $2.36 billion to utterly repair them, in response to the bureau’s estimate in June 2024.
State and federal lawmakers have stepped in to assist funding for the federal irrigation initiatives, however the affect of their efforts remains to be to be decided.
In March 2024, Colorado lawmakers referred to as on Congress to place extra money into the Indian Irrigation Fund, a part of the Water Enhancements for the Nation Act of 2016, to assist restore the 16 federal irrigation methods.
Congress can put as much as $35 million annually to the fund, however to date, the total quantity has by no means been allotted, in response to the Southern Ute Indian Tribe.
This 12 months’s whole for the fund remains to be up for debate. Congress has not finalized its price range for fiscal 12 months 2025, which began in October. Lawmakers have till the top of the day Friday to fund the federal government, however it’s nonetheless unclear whether or not Republicans will achieve sufficient assist to move a short-term funding invoice.
It’s irritating that the $35 million fund has by no means been totally allotted, U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet’s workplace mentioned in a ready assertion.
Sens. Bennet and John Hickenlooper, each Democrats, expressed assist for sending funding to the Pine River mission. U.S. Rep. Jeff Hurd, a Grand Junction Republican whose congressional district consists of the Pine River system, didn’t reply with a remark in time for publication.
“The federal authorities has shamefully did not honor its belief commitments to tribes by the longstanding shortfall in funding for all Indian Irrigation Tasks just like the Pine River mission on the Southern Ute Reservation,” Bennet’s assertion mentioned.
Ongoing challenges for the Pine River mission
About 400 farmers and ranchers on the Southern Ute Reservation and in La Plata County rely on the Pine River irrigation system. When it breaks down, their agricultural companies undergo.
However tackling the mission’s upkeep backlog is an uphill battle.
For the Pine River system, the federal price estimate of $34.1 million for the mission’s upkeep backlog could be too low. The Southern Ute Indian Tribe’s estimates had been increased, starting from $64 million to $126 million to modernize or exchange the growing older infrastructure, which incorporates eroded ditches, cracked stilts supporting pipes, and collapsed or deserted stretches of infrastructure.
The Pine River mission and others prefer it have been understaffed and underfunded for many years, in response to the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
To complicate issues additional, the Southern Ute Indian Tribe and the Bureau of Indian Affairs additionally disagree over the bureau’s accountability to the Pine River mission.
Federal staffing is one other ongoing concern. There’s one particular person on the bureau’s native workplace tasked with masking the 12,000-acre system. The workplace would have 4 individuals if it had been totally staffed.
In response, the Southern Ute Indian Tribe has dedicated each workers money and time to assist handle the system, spending about $10 million on enhancements since 2018, in response to its assertion.
“For a lot too lengthy the BIA has relied on a ‘crisis-style’ administration of the PRIIP, leading to a scarcity of planning and preventative upkeep,” the tribe’s assertion mentioned. “Points all through the 2024 irrigation season necessitated turning off irrigation water to conduct repairs to ditches, headgates and buildings.”
The Bureau of Indian Affairs acknowledged the funding and personnel shortages in a written assertion to The Colorado Solar.
“Regardless of these challenges, BIA delivers water to its prospects each summer season,” the company mentioned.
