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For Immediate Release Contact: Betsy Hart
June 26, 2008 (202) 226-8555

HERSETH SANDLIN SECURES FUNDING FOR SOUTH DAKOTA WATER PROJECTS

Legislation Prioritizes Funding for Essential Rural Water Projects Including Lewis & Clark, Mni Wiconi and Perkins County

June 26th, 2008, Washington, DC- Yesterday, the House Appropriations Committee approved funding for the Energy and Water Appropriations bill. Included in the legislation is $25 million requested by Rep. Herseth Sandlin for Lewis and Clark Regional Water Project. This strong level of funding reverses the President’s recommendation earlier this year to completely zero out funding for Lewis and Clark, which, when completed, will deliver water to more than 300,000 residents in South Dakota, Iowa and Minnesota.

“Although the president’s proposed budget ignored the needs of rural Americans by recommending zero funding for Lewis and Clark, I’m pleased that the project received a much stronger level of funding in the House Appropriations Committee,” Herseth Sandlin said. “I will continue working with my colleagues Congressman Tim Walz from Minnesota and Congressman Steve King from Iowa along with our Senate counterparts to ensure this project ultimately receives the funding it needs to be completed.”

Also included in the legislation is $28.24 million for Mni Wiconi Rural Water Project. When completed, Mni Wiconi will provide counties and reservations in western South Dakota with a reliable source of clean, potable water for the first time. The project is currently 80 percent complete.

Herseth Sandlin added, “Severe water quality and supply problems exacerbate problems for the Oglala Sioux Tribe residing on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, an area of the country with some of the lowest per-capita income in the nation. Providing adequate resources for Mni Wiconi, which in Lakota means ‘water of life,’ is imperative to ensure that it is completed as quickly as possible.”

Additionally, $3 million was provided in the legislation for Perkins County Rural Water System (PCRWS). PCRWS is critical because much of the ground water quality in northwest South Dakota is exceedingly poor – often to the point of being non-potable and dangerous to human health – and extremely deep and expensive to reach.

“Many rural families living in Perkins County continue to haul water to their homes for personal use as their ancestors did more than 100 years ago. Additionally, the water quality and supply problems – often exacerbated by droughts – have hindered economic growth in that region for decades. With steady funding, this project could be completed in just a few years and provide clean, safe water for the struggling communities and the animal agriculture in that region,” Herseth Sandlin said.

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Congresswoman Stephanie Herseth Sandlin serves South Dakota in the U.S. House of Representatives. She is a member of the Blue Dog Coalition, a group of moderate Democrats committed to fiscal discipline and strong national security, and is co-chair of the Rural Working Group, which is dedicated to raising the profile of issues important to rural America. She also serves on three committees vital to South Dakota’s interests: Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs and Natural Resources. In the 110th Congress, Rep. Herseth Sandlin was one of only 15 members appointed to serve on the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming.