{"id":66031,"date":"2020-03-10T15:32:12","date_gmt":"2020-03-10T21:32:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/efforts-underway-to-bolster-tribes-energy-independence\/"},"modified":"2020-03-10T21:32:12","modified_gmt":"2020-03-10T21:32:12","slug":"efforts-underway-to-bolster-tribes-energy-independence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/efforts-underway-to-bolster-tribes-energy-independence\/","title":{"rendered":"Efforts underway to bolster tribes\u2019 energy independence"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Ute
Ute Mountain tribal members and members of Grid Alternatives install solar arrays near Towaoc. The $2 million project will help lower electric bills for tribal members.<\/span>Courtesy of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

WASHINGTON \u2013 Energy infrastructure is lacking for tribes like the White Earth Nation in Minnesota. The tribe has \u201csuffered from the effects of energy poverty,\u201d said Raymond Auginaush, a council member for the White Earth Nation.<\/p>\n

Auginaush testified before lawmakers last week in Washington, D.C., to urge them to take action on such issues and advised them about how to do so in a way that would be of the greatest benefit to tribes.<\/p>\n

The Tribal Energy Reauthorization Act would ensure the Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs (OIE) at the U.S. Department of Energy continues to operate through 2030, with a budget of $50 million per year.<\/p>\n

Auginaush said it is important that the reauthorization bill passes because the DOE has allowed the tribe to \u201ccreate greater control of their energy imports\u201d by establishing a plan for solar and wind energy infrastructure.<\/p>\n

For example, the DOE helped the Ute Mountain Ute tribe construct community-scale solar panels in 2017.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are also looking at job opportunities through this,\u201d Auginaush said. Further funding would allow for solar farms and hydroelectric dam construction on tribal land.<\/p>\n

Respecting sovereignty while boosting energy independence<\/div>\n

\"Frost\"
Frost<\/span>du1-i-syn<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Kevin Frost, director of the OIE, said his staff is working to build the energy independence of tribes while understanding and respecting their sovereignty. He said his office works as a liaison between complicated treaty policy, sovereign tribes and the federal government to establish energy project grants.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe honor every tribe\u2019s energy goals,\u201d Frost testified.<\/p>\n

Frost is a member of the Southern Ute Indian Tribe and served on the Tribal Council. He recognized the tribe as a fast-growing leader in energy independence, reflecting on when he once lived without electricity.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know the luxury and privilege of flipping a light switch,\u201d Frost said in his introductory statements to the Senate Indian Affairs Committee.<\/p>\n

Maranda Compton, co-coordinator of the Native Affairs practice at the firm Van Ness Feldman, works with the OIE regularly. She said the office has deepened its interactions with tribes over the past couple of years by providing technical expertise, funding and loan guarantees.<\/p>\n

The OIE identifies viable and affordable sources of energy capital, and loan guarantees in particular have been an effective tool for tribes, Compton said.<\/p>\n

Since 2018, the OIE has also funded energy infrastructure for tribes. In the past, the office focused solely on energy generation, not things like transmission lines. The opportunity to fund community-level infrastructure projects on tribal land through the Tribal Energy Reauthorization Act is a key development because tribes don\u2019t always attract the kind of commercial development they need, Compton said. Tribes have a local government that doesn\u2019t have a tax base like other communities to fund infrastructure.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope these community-level opportunities show Indian country is a great place to develop cutting edge energy projects,\u201d which companies can then take to market at the commercial level, Compton told The Durango Herald<\/em> in a phone interview.<\/p>\n

Under Frost\u2019s leadership, Compton said the OIE has the \u201cbenefit of a director from Indian country, from a tribe that is pretty progressive and commercially savvy.\u201d<\/p>\n

By providing a wider array of options and focusing on what works best for each tribe, Frost has promoted economic self-determination and enhanced tribal sovereignty in his role as director of the OIE, he said.<\/p>\n

Cost-sharing for energy projects<\/div>\n

In his testimony before the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, Frost advocated protecting cost-sharing, which otherwise might have been removed under the reauthorization bill.<\/p>\n

\u201cCost-sharing is a foundational element of responsible expenditure of taxpayer funds, and the department has significant concerns about completely removing the requirement\u201d because it could limit the number of projects the office can authorize, Frost testified.<\/p>\n

Instead of eliminating the requirement, Frost said he would work with legislators to develop a methodology that avoids an unaffordable financial burden on indigenous tribes.<\/p>\n

\u201cLower tribal cost-share translates into increased DOE funding per grant, fewer tribal energy projects, and therefore fewer tribes benefiting from the same level of funding,\u201d Frost wrote in his testimony.<\/p>\n

Emily Hayes is a graduate student at American University in Washington, D.C., and an intern for The Durango Herald.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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