Federal funding for Santee water pipeline dries up in Congressional funding bill

The continuing resolution recently passed by Congress avoided a government shutdown, but it also means some Nebraska communities that were expecting federal funds for water projects are out of luck.

The Santee Sioux Nation in northern Nebraska is one of them.

The reservation hasn't had access to safe drinking water for nearly six years, after the tribe was first notified of high levels of manganese in its water supply. The tribe is working to secure funds for a pipeline to connect the reservation with a clean water supply from South Dakota.

Sen. Deb Fischer included $8.25 million for the project through a congressionally directed spending request last year. But the appropriations bill that included the earmark was never scheduled for a vote. Instead, Congress passed continuing resolutions in both December and March, keeping the government open by funding agencies at similar levels to the previous year.

That means most earmarks for special projects weren't included.

Santee Sioux vice chairman Kameron Runnels said the process has left him frustrated.

"I get it that the political environment, everything's changing right now and stuff, but we're kind of being left in the dust because of that," he said. "Everyone seems to be forgetting about us."

Last fall, things were looking more optimistic for the Santee. At a tribal council meeting in September, Clinton Powell, the tribe's engineer, said the pipeline would be fully funded in the coming months.

In addition to the $8.25 million appropriation from Fischer's appropriation bill, the tribe was expecting to receive $11 million from the Indian Health Service and other state and federal funds to complete the $52 million project. The pipeline was expected to be operational by fall 2027.

But now, that timeline seems increasingly unlikely.

"It's just an unfortunate situation that these federal agencies have been dragging their feet or going through these government changes," Runnels said. "It's frustrating, you know, but we still have faith that these guys are going to make the right decision for us."

Runnels said the tribal council hopes the funding request is included in a spending bill for the next fiscal year. As project delays drive up costs due to inflation, he said the tribe may need more than $8.25 million in future years.

"We probably even need more than what we had asked Senator Fisher's office for in that congressional spending request," he said. "So I'm hoping that Senator Fisher continues to support this project and continues to put funding aside for for it."

In a statement to Nebraska Public Media News, Fischer wrote that Congress needs to debate individual appropriation bills instead of package resolutions.

“Because Leader Schumer would not bring forward individual appropriations bills last Congress, we were forced to pass a continuing resolution to keep the government open," she wrote. "By hitting autopilot on current spending levels, we miss the chance to direct funds to critical Nebraska projects. Congress must return to passing individual appropriations bills, which provides transparency and accountability over how the federal government spends Americans’ hard-earned tax dollars."

Santee Sioux leadership is planning to visit Washington D.C. in April to meet with the state congressional delegation to advocate for the pipeline.