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Interior Secretary: Drought Demands Investment, Conservation

/in , , /by /ABC Newsby Patty Nieberg

Confronting the historic drought that has a firm grip on the American West requires a heavy federal infrastructure investment to protect existing water supplies but also will depend on efforts at all levels of government to reduce demand by promoting water efficiency and recycling, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said Thursday.

Haaland told reporters in Denver that the Biden administration’s proposed fiscal year 2022 budget includes a $1.5 billion investment in the Bureau of Reclamation, which manages water and power in the Western states, and more than $54 million for states, tribes and communities to upgrade infrastructure and water planning projects.

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AP Interview: EPA Water Chief On Clean Water Protections

/in , /by /AP Newsby Suman Naishadham

To finally determine a lasting definition of waterways that qualify for federal protection under the Clean Water Act, the Environmental Protection Agency’s new water director says everyone with a stake in the issue will need to be engaged.

Radhika Fox recently spoke to The Associated Press about the Biden administration’s plan to rewrite the regulation, also called Waters of the United States. The contentious rule was scaled back by the Trump administration after being expanded under President Barack Obama.

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EPA’s Top Water Official On Biden’s Climate, Equity Goals

/in , /by /E&E Newsby Hannah Northey

Radhika Fox vividly remembers growing up in rural India without running water or flushing toilets.

The newly confirmed head of EPA’s Office of Water lived with her grandmother while her parents finished their medical training in New York City.

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Opinion: How Infrastructure Plan Can Accelerate Resilience

/in , , /by /The Mercury Newsby Amanda Brown-Stevens

Passing President Biden’s infrastructure bill would be the most significant step we’ve taken as a nation to start to address climate change head on.

Greenbelt Alliance believes this infrastructure bill is a great start. Yet, so far there is no path to guide how we can equitably shift away from rebuilding in the most climate-vulnerable areas and instead build for a more resilient future.

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Biden Administration Declares California Drought Disaster. What Is Newsom Waiting For?

/in , /by /GV Wireby Bill McEwen

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack designated 50 California counties as natural disaster areas last month because of the drought. And, over the weekend, Fresno Congressman Jim Costa said on KSEE-24’s Sunday Morning Matters program that Gov. Newsom should declare a statewide emergency because of the dangerously dry conditions. Vilsack is a Democrat and former Iowa governor who served eight years as President Obama’s top farming official. Costa is a Democrat.

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White House Issues Infrastructure Report Cards for All 50 States

/in , /by /The Hillby Brett Samuels

The White House on Monday issued report cards for all 50 states in a bid to highlight why officials say a massive infrastructure bill is necessary. The Biden administration released fact sheets that break down how each state stacks up in 12 key areas of infrastructure that would be addressed under the American Jobs Plan, President Biden‘s $2.3 trillion proposal to invest in traditional infrastructure like roads and railways, as well as more progressive areas like the care economy and climate-friendly industries.

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More Water Spending Sought for West in Infrastructure Bill

/in , /by /Western Farm Press

As drought worsens in the West, a coalition of more than 200 farm and water organizations from 15 states that has been pushing to fix the region’s crumbling canals and reservoirs is complaining that President Joe Biden’s new infrastructure proposal doesn’t provide enough funding for above- or below-ground storage.

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Here’s What’s in Biden’s Infrastructure Proposal

/in , , /by /CNN Politicsby Tami Luhby, Katie Lobosco and Kate Sullivan

Now that his massive coronavirus relief package is law, President Joe Biden is laying out his next big proposal: A roughly $2 trillion plan for improving the nation’s infrastructure and shifting to greener energy over the next 8 years. He is set to unveil the effort, dubbed the American Jobs Plan, on Wednesday at an event in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania — the opening move in what’s expected to be a months-long negotiation with Congress.

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Tribal Leaders Ask for More Funding, Less Meddling for Water Projects

/in , /by /Cronkite Newsby Sarah Oven

Arizona tribal officials told a Senate committee Wednesday that the federal government can help address a crisis with water infrastructure on their lands through more funding, and less meddling.

Navajo Department of Water Resources Director Jason John and Colorado River Indian Tribes Chairwoman Amelia Flores made the comments during a Senate Indian Affairs Committee hearing on water infrastructure for Native communities. Leaders of Oregon and Alaska tribes also testified at the hearing.

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California Agencies Will Reap Windfall from Biden Infrastructure Plan — If It Gets Traction

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Ralph Vartabedian

A Biden initiative expected to pour up to $3 trillion into repairing America’s decrepit infrastructure and funding other programs has sparked a scramble across the nation for the federal funds — with California expecting to reap the biggest piece.

The potential federal bounty opens the door to a list of ambitious projects: electrifying the Burbank-to-Anaheim passenger rail system, straightening the Los Angeles-to-San Diego rail line to cut travel time, and building a 1.3-mile tunnel to extend a passenger line to downtown San Francisco.

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