Transportation and Water Infrastructure Development as Drivers of Economic Development (Virtual Informational Session) 

Transportation & Water
Written By Kevin Klingbeil

Water/wastewater and transportation/transit infrastructure are vital for Indigenous community economic development. Reliable water systems, including pipes connecting facilities to homes and businesses, ensure access to essential services. Similarly, strong transportation networks connect communities to markets and opportunities, supporting local businesses and fostering long-term growth and self-sufficiency. 

This CoP session focused on the development of infrastructure as a precursor to a wide range of economic development activities. Well-planned installations of new infrastructure enable multiple activities and provide flexibility in the selection and specific sequencing of new economic development activities. 

The session featured four subject matter expert panelists representing a federal agency, a tribe in the process of expanding their water infrastructure, and an organization that supports the development of self-determined efforts of tribes to transition towards clean energy systems.   

Subject Matter Expert (SMEs):

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Session Summary

Overview of Transportation/Transit and Water/Wastewater Infrastructure

In the clip to the right, Kevin Klingbeil provides an overview of transportation and water Infrastructure. ‘Infrastructure’ includes a wide variety of topics and sectors that are interconnected and collectively serve as necessary underpinnings of economic development activities. Infrastructure is pivotal to community economic development as it enhances quality of life, promotes productivity, attracts investment, and facilitates the smooth flow of goods and services. 

Previous CoP events have covered different infrastructural topics already.  

Kevin provides an overview of Transportation and Water Infrastructure

Water/Waste Water Infrastructure (Slides 6-10)

Graphic from Innov Consulting

This session is focused on the pipes that connect water to businesses, community facilities, and housing as well as the wastewater pipes coming from those facilities. Water as a resource in its own domain will be discussed in April 2025 during the virtual information session titled Natural Resource Management.

Historic Barriers to Accessing Water Resources in Indigenous Communities (Slides 7-8) 

Historic struggles to access water resources include political, legal, industrial, and environmental factors. Barriers to water systems in Indigenous communities are often interconnected across various industries, impacting the quality of life of members in those communities.

  • A participant provided his experience at Navajo Nation. He mentioned that tribal members often live in isolated areas up to hundreds of miles from water systems, highlighting the complexity and capacity needed to run water lines in these areas. 

  • Crystal Miller from The Alliance for Tribal Clean Energy mentioned that some tribal members will elect not to have contemporary water systems in their homes order to preserve tribal traditions and reject the influences of colonialism. 

Funding for Water/Sewer Systems (Slides 9-10) 

Find resources through the CoP’s Infrastructure & Utilities Resources page and grants.gov, and view a list of funding sources by the Environmental Finance Center Network​

Other resource groups: Great Plains Tribal Water Alliance, tribalcleanwater.org, DigDeep, US Water Alliance, National Water Resources Association, and Western States Water Council

Transportation/Transit Infrastructure (Slides 11-17)

Investing in transportation infrastructure, including roads and transit systems, is vital for community economic development as it enhances connectivity, reduces travel time, attracts businesses, and improves access to jobs, education, and essential services. This part of the session focused on road and transit system infrastructure such as roads within communities, out of communities, sidewalks and street lamps, shuttle and bus routes, and electric vehicle charging stations. 

Roads (Slides 11-13)

Roads play a vital role in the economic development of Indigenous communities and tribes by providing access to markets, healthcare, education, essential goods/services, and employment opportunities. Investing in road infrastructure is key for fostering economic growth (such as workforce development, tourism, access to businesses, and accessibility for suppliers), reducing poverty, and improving quality of life. 

Indigenous communities are uniquely affected by the quality and safety of roads and transit systems (Slide 12) 

  • Only a quarter (25.6%) of individuals living in tribal areas were within walking distance of a grocery store, less than half the national average of 58.8 percent according to a study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. 

  • Some reservations/Indigenous communities have limited essential resources, raising the need for tribal members to go outside the reservation/community for services and goods such as healthcare and groceries. 

Key Considerations for planning road infrastructure projects (Slide 13) 

  • Planning needs to be in alignment with the goals and plans of other departments in the tribe/community  

  •  Quality of roads is key to attracting partners and tourists  

  •  Identifying where roads are most needed  

  •  Recognizing the importance of safe roads for connecting your workforce and economic development activities  

  •  Identifying the funding sources you can access  

  •  Partnering with neighboring counties, cities, and state(s) to complete road projects  

  •  Cultural and environmental impact 

Transit (Slides 14-17) 

Transit systems both within and outside reservations/communities are crucial for Indigenous community economic development as they improve access to employment, education, healthcare, and markets. 

Key Consideration to Transit Infrastructure Planning (Slide 15) 

  • It can be difficult to maintain transit systems in rural areas due to low civilian and workforce populations  

  •  What funding sources do we have? Can we afford to maintain these systems?  

  •  Where do community members need to go daily?  

  •  Will our community members feel safe enough to utilize this service?  

  •  Are there partnerships we can consider to implement this service?  

  • Planning needs to be in alignment with the goals and plans of other departments or organizations in the tribe/community 

Funding Sources for Transportation Projects (Slide 17)

Find resources through the CoP’s Infrastructure & Utilities Resources page, grants.gov, and Transportation Funding Opportunities for Tribal Nations by the DOT

Project and Resource Highlights

Office of Tribal Government Affairs at the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT)

In the clip below, Eldridge Onco, Senior Tribal Affairs Advisor for the Office of Tribal Government Affairs within the Department of Transportation (DOT), introduces the office and DOT resources. Eldridge is a member of the Kiowa Tribe and has extensive experience working with and for the DOT. 

Role of the Office of Tribal and Government Affairs 

The Office of Tribal Government Affairs facilitates partnerships between tribal governments and the DOT. In an effort to help tribal communities improve their transportation systems, the office makes themselves available to answer your questions about DOT-related projects and policies. 

Eldridge Onco introduces Department of Transportation (DOT) resources and the Office of Tribal Government Affairs within the DOT.

DOT Funding and Programs 

  • Federal Highway Administration (FHA) 

  • The Federal High Administration and the BIA host the Tribal Transportation Program. Funds from this program are disbursed through “tribal shares” and can be used to construct bridges, roads, and plan projects. 

  • Federal Transit Administration (FTA) 

  • The Federal Transit Administration offers the Public Transportation on Indian Reservations Program. This program is under the rural transportation program but has waived certain requirements for tribes, increasing tribal accessibility to this program. 

  • The DOT Tribal Transportation Self-Governance Program is one of only three federal self-governance programs. Eldridge says this program offers greater control and flexibility to tribes and it is underutilized. He encourages tribal leaders to look into this program. 

  • Eldrige highlights the importance of pre-development planning assistance for tribal and rural communities. The Rural and Tribal Assistance Pilot Program (Open now – closes April 17th) allows tribes to hire employees or contractors for planning. There will be a third round for this program next year. This program has no matching requirement.  

Finding DOT Resources 

  • Eldridge highlights the DOT navigator which provides information about how to apply for DOT grants and outlines information about specific DOT grant programs. 

Eldridge has seen extensive regional benefits when tribes partner with local governments. Tribal partnerships with local and regional non-tribal governments improve the quality and urgency of funding application narratives when they demonstrate or highlight greater positive impacts on their region. 

Walker River Paiute Tribe

In the clip below Joseph Frank, the Project Manager for Walker River Paiute Tribe Administration, highlights the challenges and successes of the Tribe’s water system projects. 

Joseph Frank highlights the challenges and successes of the Walker River Paiute Tribe’s water system projects. 

The Effects of an Insufficient Water System 

Originally, the BIA implemented the water systems on their tribal lands in the 1960s. The systems were like a tree with branches leading off to nowhere; water lines were not connecting to facilities which led to some situations where hydrants failed to provide water during an emergency. Because the Tribe is in a rural area, it faces challenges like power fluctuations, the cascading impacts of which impact the water systems.  

Additionally, insurance companies will not insure buildings without proper water infrastructure which hinders housing and commercial development, further highlighting the critical connection between water systems and other infrastructure to community economic development. 

Developing a New System 

Since the water infrastructure was in bad shape, the Tribe decided to conduct a feasibility study to improve the system. The study generated the idea for a looped system and highlighted that a new water tank system was needed. 

To develop and install the new water infrastructure that is needed to support housing the workforce and constructing commercial facilities, the Tribe has successfully secured a handful of different grants and funding sources that are being stacked together: 

  • Joseph said the administration may think about state-grants, New Markets Tax Credits, or loans from banks to complete this project 

Updating the water system is currently on hold as a foundational grant for the project has been frozen.  Joseph Frank, the Project Manager for Walker River Paiute Tribe Administration, highlights the challenges and successes of the tribe’s water system projects in the clip to the left.

Alliance for Tribal Clean Energy

In the clip below, Crystal Miller, the Deputy to Senior Advisory of Policy, Tax & Federal Government Relations for Alliance for Tribal Clean Energy, discussed the Alliance’s tribal electric vehicle infrastructure research project, EV SPIRIT. She was supported by Laura Beshilas, the Project Lead with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), a partner on the EV SPIRIT project. 

Crystal Miller and Laura Beshilas discussed the Alliance’s tribal electric vehicle infrastructure research project.

The Alliance, a nonprofit organization fully funded by philanthropy, works on clean energy projects with tribes and Native communities. The EV SPIRIT Study is to be a guidebook on EV infrastructure, focusing on interviews with tribal experts. The study aims to identify barriers and successes in different areas of clean energy adoption in tribal nations. The first version of the guidebook offers a broad overview, with further phases providing more detailed insights. 

The study will rely on Indigenous data sovereignty, allowing tribal nations to own the data collected on them. The guidebook will look at how EV infrastructure is incorporated, enhancing tourism and infrastructure planning. 

Crystal encourages tribes to reach out to the Alliance for assistance with EV infrastructure and clean energy projects. The alliance offers free services with no strings attached. 

  • One CoP participant asked if Crystal knows of any tribes engaging in nitrogen fueled vehicle infrastructure. Laura Beshilas mentioned hearing more about hydrogen vehicle projects. They all speculate that investing in these types of up-and-coming industries could benefit tribes and Indigenous peoples. 

  • Crystal also highlighted that the Alliance continues to pivot with the changing world. She says tribes will advance as the world does. 

Group Q&A and Discussion

In the clip to the left, the three speakers answer questions and discuss relevant topics in Native transportation and water systems.

The three SMEs answer questions about Native infrastructure, opportunities, and their projects.

  • A participant mentioned that he often sees in Indian Country that road infrastructure for economic development is needed.  

    • Kevin added onto that by saying that often times when Big Water Consulting collects data on tribal lands one of the biggest concerns is the quality of roads.  

    • Carolee mentioned that there are many types of roads within reservations such as BIA roads, Reservation Roads, Federal Highways, and county roads. Understanding which ones are which is important because the resources available, bureaucratic process(s), and timelines to support maintenance depend on who oversees the road or highway.

  • Eldridge Onco mentioned that the Office of Tribal Government Affairs understands tribes’ concerns about underfunding. He mentioned that the statutory formula does not take into account the uniqueness of tribal nations and Indigenous communities. Because DOT runs off statutory formula, it is up to Congress to address that issue.  

    • Kevin shared that Big Water educates the tribes on how data formulas are made, allowing tribes to determine what works for them. Facilitating tribal data sovereignty.  

  • Crystal mentioned how capital stacking is a great way for tribes and Indigenous communities to fund large projects. She encourages leaders to reach out to financial analysts at the Alliance to discuss how different funding sources can be stacked.  

  • Crystal also encourages tribal leaders to look for creative or underutilized funding sources, such as state funding. She encourages people to remove any ‘blinders’ they had on previously to find funding sources not thought of before. 

 

Closing Thoughts

Connect and Ask Questions

There are resources available, including the above subject matter experts (SMEs), who can help tribes and their programs get involved in small- and large-scale projects. 

Questions, with answers from the Resource Group and fellow participants, will continue to be posted in the Knowledge Bank on the CoP website. If you have questions that you want answered, please ask in the LinkedIn group or share it with the administrators. 

Resources and Upcoming Events

 

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