Baucus Invites Chippewa Cree Tribal Chairman to Testify on Behalf of Rural Water Projects

Press Release

Montana's senior U.S. Senator Max Baucus brought Chairman of the Chippewa Cree Tribe of the Rocky Boy's Reservation Bruce Sunchild, Sr. to testify before a key Senate panel today on behalf of legislation introduced by Baucus and Senator Jon Tester to guarantee funding for rural water projects without adding to the federal debt. Sunchild and several members of the committee pointed out that the guaranteed funding source in Baucus' bill will not only help provide safe, clean drinking water for rural Americans, but also save taxpayer dollars over the long term.

"If I could leave the members of this committee with one impression, it would be for you to understand how difficult life is when you have no assurances that when you turn the water on in your house that water will in fact come out of the tap or be safe to drink," Sunchild told the Senate Natural Resources Committee today.

Sunchild's testimony centered on the devastation of two consecutive years of flooding on the Rocky Boy's Reservation that have resulted in serious health problems for residents in addition to the naturally occurring high arsenic levels in the groundwater. He described the ongoing impacts of groundwater contaminated with Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) which causes ulcers, severe gastric discomfort and can lead to stomach cancer.

Sunchild also pointed out that the current system of funding rural water projects through ad hoc appropriations bills rarely even keeps up with the rate of inflation. Under this system, these projects would actually cost taxpayers millions of dollars more than necessary, because they will take decades longer to complete. Instead, Baucus' bill invests adequate funding for rural water projects up front and saves taxpayer dollars over the long run.

"City people, and even many folks in rural states, take for granted that when they move into a house they on turn the tap and there's drinking water. But for many folks, especially in rural areas, that's just not true. When there's no municipal drinking water system, you get your water from wells - sometimes they work and sometimes they don't. Sometimes the water is contaminated. It's unreliable, and there's not enough good, clean water," Baucus told the panel. "We've got to get these rural water projects completed and the approach in this bill makes a lot of sense because the old way of doing things just hasn't worked."

In his testimony, Sunchild used the example of the Rocky Boy's/North-Central Water Project. He said if the project were funded at $35 million a year, it could be completed at a total cost of $418.6 million by 2021. But, funding the project at only $15 million a year will cost about $647 million and wouldn't allow the project to be completed until 2046 - costing taxpayers an extra $228 million. Since the project was first authorized in 2002, its appropriations have fluctuated dramatically, averaging about $5.5 million a year, and falling as low as $800 thousand.

Baucus' bill does not authorize new projects, but simply provides a reliable funding source for projects that are already authorized under the law.

§ Full text of testimony from Chairman Bruce Sunchild, Sr. is available online HERE.

§ Text of Baucus' prepared remarks are available online HERE.

About the Authorized Rural Water Projects Completion Act (S. 3385):

Baucus introduced the Authorized Rural Water Projects Completion Act with Senator Jon Tester on July 19.

Ø Smart Investments: The bill establishes an $80 million guaranteed annual pool at the Treasury Department for funding eligible rural water projects.

Ø Doesn't Add to Deficit: The bill forbids the Treasury Secretary from transferring funds if it would add to the deficit.

Ø Supports Montana Projects: The immediate Montana impact means Rocky Boy's/North-Central Water Project and the Fort Peck/Dry Prairie Project can now compete for guaranteed funding set up by the legislation. The Dry-Redwater Project, which is nearing completion of a required feasibility study, would also likely qualify.

Serves energy-impacted communities: The Fort Peck/Dry Prairie Project and Dry-Redwater Project serve rural Montanans in the middle of the Bakken region. Clean, affordable drinking water is critical for a growing population with more housing and industrial water needs. Infrastructure investments are a cornerstone of Baucus' ongoing Call to Action in the Bakken.

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