Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland wraps 'Building a Better America' tour in Las Vegas

Las Vegas (KSNV) — Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland wrapped her week-long tour of the west coast in Las Vegas, where she was joined by reps Susie Lee and Dina Titus.

As part of the Biden-Harris administration’s “Building a Better America” tour, Secretary Haaland visited Palm Springs, California over the weekend before arriving in Las Vegas on Sunday.

The tour is meant to highlight the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and its effort to help communities across the nation tackle the climate crisis by investing in a clean energy economy and addressing the worsening drought crisis.

While in Palm Springs, Secretary Haaland, and Representative Raul Ruiz toured onshore renewable energy projects in line with the Biden-Harris administration’s ambitious renewable energy goals while also visiting the Desert Sunlight Solar Farm.

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The duo also saw other lands with the potential to be sited for future clean energy projects and toured areas conserved for natural and cultural resources as part of the regional planning efforts, including the Corn Springs area surrounded by the Chuckwalla Mountains Wilderness.

Here in town, Haaland was joined by Assistant Secretary for Water and Science Tanya Trujillo, where they met with Representatives Susie Lee and Dina Titus and held a listening session with local elected officials, business leaders, and stakeholders to hear about the impacts that the ongoing drought crisis is having on their communities.

Secretary Haaland also highlighted the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s historic $8.3 billion investment in water infrastructure and drought resilience that will fund water efficiency and recycling programs, rural water projects, and WaterSMART grants to ensure that irrigators, Tribes, and adjoining communities receive adequate assistance and support.

“Water is a sacred resource essential to Tribes and communities, growing crops, sustaining wildlife and the environment, and supporting agricultural businesses. Unfortunately, drought conditions in the West continue to worsen, and water allocations are at historic lows,” said Secretary Haaland.

“There is an urgent need to minimize the impacts of drought and develop a long-term plan to facilitate conservation and economic growth because drought doesn’t impact just one community — it affects all of us, from farmers and ranchers to city dwellers and Tribes.”

During the trip, she also met with stakeholders to discuss the infrastructure law’s investments to address the long-lasting effects of legacy pollution, and attended the Western Governors Association’s Winter Meetingto underscore the importance of federal and state partnerships to successfully deploy these new and historic resources.