Family Farm Alliance Annual Report 2021 Activities and Accomplishments

2021 IN REVIEW
ACTIONS DRIVING ALLIANCE INITIATIVES
FAMILY FARM ALLIANCE INITIATIVE: Engage with the Biden Administration and look for opportunities to
collaborate with Native American Tribes.
The disproportionate incidence of COVID in Indian Country has been correlated with the lack of access to clean
water and has brought considerable attention to this longstanding public health issue. According to data from
the Indian Health Service, nearly half of Native American households do not have access to reliable water sources
and clean drinking water. A report (bit.ly/369LGkn) commissioned by the Colorado River Water and Tribes
Initiative documents the different forms of lack of access to safe and reliable drinking water among tribes in the
Colorado River Basin, together with some of the deficiencies in the federal programs designed to address this
problem and recommendations for improvement.
Universal Access to Clean Drinking Water for Native Americans
Last spring, the Alliance was contacted by Anne Castle, former Assistant Secretary for Water and Science at
the Department of Interior, who currently is a Senior Fellow at the Getches-Wilkinson Center at the University
of Colorado. She had been working with a “small but dedicated” team to bring attention to the lack of access
to clean drinking water in Indian country. The Alliance board of directors later in April issued a statement by
President Patrick O’Toole in support of this initiative. President O’Toole’s statement was intended to qualify
the Alliance’s support, and references the 2021 priorities adopted by the Board earlier in the year. U.S. Senators
Michael Bennet (D-COLORADO) and Martin Heinrich (D-NEW MEXICO) later introduced a bill to dramatically
expand tribal access to clean water by investing in water infrastructure. This bill would increase funding through
Indian Health Service, Reclamation, USDA, and EPA to address the significant backlog of water infrastructure
projects in tribal communities and provide clean water to the overwhelming number of Native American
households who currently lack access.
FAMILY FARM ALLIANCE INITIATIVE: Advocate for repairing aging water
infrastructure and developing new storage and delivery infrastructure
through Congressional engagement, building upon the letter signed by
over 200 Western organizations.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act
With President Joe Biden’s signature on the bipartisan Infrastructure
Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) last November, a national coalition representing
thousands of Western farmers, ranchers, businesses, and rural and urban
water providers declared a victory for Western water users and called on the
Administration to immediately clear the path for projects that will address
critical Western water supply needs. The Western water provisions included in
this legislation represent a once-in-a-generation federal investment that will
bolster our aging water infrastructure and keep water flowing to our nation’s
farms and ranches. It will also improve our ability to provide water supply
reliability for cities and the environment in future droughts. The IIJA includes
$8.3 billion for Reclamation, including $3.2 billion for aging infrastructure,
$1.15 billion for new storage and conveyance, $100 million for small scale
storage projects, $250 million for ecosystem restoration, $100 million for
multi-benefit watershed projects and $400 million for WaterSMART, including
$100 million for natural infrastructure projects.
Western Water Infrastructure Coalition
Importantly, the IIJA aligns with the solutions advanced by a Western water
coalition that includes more than 230 organizations from 15 states that
collectively represent $120 billion in agricultural production — nearly one-third
of all agricultural production in the country — and many of the local and regional
public water agencies that supply water to more than 75 million urban, suburban,
and rural residents. The coalition was led by a steering committee comprised of
the Alliance, Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA), California Farm
Bureau, National Water Resources Association (NWRA) and Western Growers.
Hundreds of individuals and organizations across the West and in Washington,
D.C. helped drive this effort. The steering committee spent significant time and
effort on this initiative, which really developed into something to behold. Statefocused
lobbying and communications groups were established in 7 Western
states, and the caliber of people involved and the products they put together
were incredibly effective. The Alliance helped coordinate every one of those
Zoom calls, with Western Growers and California Farm Bureau driving the overall
communications efforts. This group churned out countless draft letters to the
editor, guest columns and social media examples, which were shared with
coalition members throughout the West.
With President Joe
Biden’s signature
on the bipartisan
Infrastructure
Investment and
Jobs Act (IIJA)
last November, a
national coalition
representing
thousands of
Western farmers,
ranchers,
businesses, and
rural and urban
water providers
declared a victory
for Western water
users and called on
the Administration
to immediately clear
the path for projects
that will address
critical Western
water supply needs.
2021 Activities and Accomplishments 35