Tester Secures $26 Million from his Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to Deliver Clean Water to Montana Communities

Funding to upgrade and repair Montana’s essential water infrastructure

As a direct result of his bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), U.S. Senator Jon Tester secured $26 million for the state of Montana to clean its watersheds and deliver clean drinking water across the state.

“Access to clean drinking water and reliable water infrastructure is essential to the health, safety, and economic growth of Montana’s communities,” said Tester. “I’m proud to have secured significant funding for water infrastructure improvements through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, so that folks in our communities across the Treasure State know they’ve got the water they need to take care of their families and power their small businesses. I look forward to working with EPA to make sure these funds get on the ground as soon as possible because Montanans can’t wait.”

This funding from Tester’s IIJA will be delivered by the Environmental Protection Agency to the Montana Department of Environmental Quality. Resources can be used to repair and upgrade Montana’s essential water infrastructure, which will help communities access clean, safe and reliable drinking water; increase infrastructure resilience, which will help communities plan for the future; collect and treat wastewater to protect public health; and clean up pollution in vital waterways.

Additional previously-announced IIJA provisions to improve Montana’s water infrastructure include:

• $1 billion to complete all authorized rural water projects through the Bureau of Reclamation, including Fort Peck/Dry Prairie, Rocky Boys/North Central, and Musselshell-Judith rural water systems.
• Approximately $198 million for Rocky Boys/North Central
• Approximately $56 million for Musselshell-Judith
• Approximately $17 million for Fort Peck/Dry Prairie
• Up to $100 million for rehabilitating the Milk River Project.
• $2.5 billion to complete all authorized Indian water rights settlements, including settlements for Montana Tribes.
• Clarifies that American Rescue Plan state and local fiscal recovery funds may be used towards the state or federal cost share to rehabilitate Bureau of Reclamation water infrastructure. $3.5 billion for Indian Health Service Sanitation Construction program, filling all outstanding needs in the program nationwide.
• This includes roughly $40 million in water, sewage, and sanitation projects for the Blackfeet Tribe.
• $11.2 billion in grants for states and Tribes to reclaim abandoned mine lands. Montana is expected to receive at least $20 million, over six times the state’s annual federal Abandoned Mine Land distribution.

Tester worked across the aisle for months to negotiate the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act with a group of five Republicans, four Democrats, and the White House, and he was the only member of Montana’s congressional delegation to vote for it. Tester’s law is projected to create more than 800,000 American jobs and lower costs for businesses by making targeted investments that will strengthen our nation without raising taxes on working families.

A full list of Montana provisions in Tester’s bipartisan infrastructure law can be found HERE.