11.19.24

Makah Tribe to Boost Local Tourism with New Federal Grant

Funds will allow the Tribe to move forward with a new motel and recover from 2021 natural disasters

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, announced that the Makah Indian Tribe will receive $903,847 to support the local tourism industry following flooding in 2021 that caused extensive damage and triggered a major disaster declaration by the federal government.

The grant money, which comes from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA), will support an enhanced feasibility study of the Hobuck Beach Resort in preparation for the construction of a new motel on tribal land.

“Great news for one of the most spectacular parts of our state -- this federal grant will boost local NW Washington tourism hurt by major flooding and landslides in 2021 by helping the Makah Tribe rebuild critical infrastructure, construct a new motel, and support job growth,” said Sen. Cantwell.

Sen. Cantwell has delivered several recent wins to the Makah Tribe. Earlier this month, she announced that the tribe had been awarded a $1.8 million grant from the Bureau of Reclamation to help the Tribe bolster its water supply system. They also received a $5.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Port Infrastructure Development Program to support improvements to the Port of Neah Bay.

In August, the Makah Tribe, along with a coalition of businesses on the North Olympic Peninsula, were selected for $35 million in funds from the Recompete Pilot Program, which supports local economic development. Sen. Cantwell fought to include the pilot program in her landmark CHIPS and Science Act. In April, the tribe received a $4 million grant from the Bureau of Indian Affairs to replace a failing wastewater system with new infrastructure that can withstand climate-induced impacts. And last year, the Tribe received $240,000 to enhance their ocean mapping capabilities, allowing them to better assess economic opportunities and understand their risk from climate change-driven sea level rise.

Sen. Cantwell consistently fights for Washington’s tribes in the federal government. In hearings held by the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, she has drawn attention to understaffing and other difficulties commonly faced by tribal law enforcement agencies, and in September, the Committee voted to advance her Parity for Tribal Law Enforcement Act. In April, legislation she sponsored to help the Puyallup Tribe take land into trust was signed into law. The Senator is also a cosponsor of the REACH Our Tribes Act, which would improve tribal access to programs run by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.