Biden-Harris Administration Brings High-Speed, Affordable Internet to Tribal Communities 

 Biden-Harris Administration Brings High-Speed, Affordable Internet to Tribal Communities 

Funding Comes from Schatz-Authored Provision of Inflation Reduction Act, Follows SCIA Hearings on Supporting Tribal Energy Needs

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), chair of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, released the following statement after the U.S. Department of the Interior announced $72 million in federal funding for home electrification projects on Tribal lands. The funding for 21 tribes comes from DOI’s Tribal Electrification Program which was created through a Schatz-authored provision of the Inflation Reduction Act.

“It’s unacceptable that so many Tribal and Alaska Native communities lack access to electricity and it’s why we fought to include $150 million in funding for home electrification in the Inflation Reduction Act,” said Chair Schatz. “I’m glad to see the funding is starting to reach the communities that need it, and I look forward to seeing the second round of this critical funding go out in the coming months.”

More than 16,000 Tribal homes and 54,000 residents lack electricity, with a majority of unelectrified homes located in the Navajo Nation and Hopi Tribe. Navajo Nation and Hopi Tribe leaders testified at hearings convened by the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs regarding the implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act and the federal government’s role in supporting Tribal energy needs.