Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack Tuesday announced funding for high speed internet and drinking water systems for tribal communities. The Department of Agriculture is investing $58 million in Tribal communities in Nevada, Oklahoma and South Dakota.
The funding will support economic development, high-speed internet deployment and modern infrastructure. The projects are being financed through the ReConnect Program and the Water and Waste Facility Loans and Grants to Alleviate Health Risks on Tribal Lands Program. Vilsack says, “USDA is committed to building our economy from the middle out and bottom-up by bringing high-speed internet, clean water and critical infrastructure to people in small towns and communities everywhere.”
Vilsack made the announcement at one of the nation’s largest Tribal economic development conferences, the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development’s Reservation Economic Summit in Las Vegas, Nevada. Investments in the announcement were made possible by various USDA Rural Development programs.
