TL/DR –
The Biden administration plans to fund 146 tribal climate resilience projects with $120 million. The funds, which can be used for mitigation and resilience projects such as relocation efforts, coastal management, and habitat restoration, will be disbursed across 102 tribes and nine tribal organizations. This award is part of a larger $440 million allocated by the administration for climate resilience in tribal communities.
Biden Administration to Allocate $120 Million for Tribal Climate Resilience Projects
The Biden administration has pledged $120 million to fund 146 tribal climate resilience projects, as confirmed by the Interior Department. This substantial funding will bolster mitigation and resilience initiatives from relocation to coastal management and habitat restoration.
Breaking down the fund allocation, $71 million derives from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), $26 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and the remaining $23 million from annual appropriations for fiscal 2023. The funds will support 102 tribes and nine tribal organizations, marking the largest single annual climate funding to tribes in Bureau of Indian Affairs history.
Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, the first indigenous Cabinet secretary, underscored her commitment to native communities. The administration’s investment in Native community infrastructure, amounting to $45 billion, is equivalent to 15 years of the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ annual budget.
Haaland emphasized the urgent climate-related challenges confronting indigenous communities, stating: “Indigenous communities…pose an existential threat to tribal economies, infrastructure, lives, and livelihoods. Through President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, we are making transformational commitments to assist Tribes and Tribal organizations as they plan for and implement climate resilience measures…”
This award forms part of the administration’s $440 million allocation for tribal community climate resilience. This follows a 2022 program funding for the voluntary relocation of Native Americans displaced by climate change.
The beneficiaries include residents of Alaska’s Newtok Village and Native Village of Napakiak, which face severe erosion. Interior estimates Napakiak loses 25 to 50 feet of riverbank annually. Secretary Haaland’s tenure has consistently emphasized Native issues, including an ongoing federal boarding schools review, where Native children were historically subjected to forced placement and cultural suppression.
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