![](media/image1.png){width="4.050694444444445in"
height="1.0888888888888888in"}

**NEWS MEDIA CONTACT: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE**

**Tom Welch, 202/586-5806 Tuesday, June 14, 2005**

**Christopher Powers, 303/275-4742**

**Energy Department Makes \$2.5 Million Available for**

**Native American Tribes to Develop Renewable**

**Energy Resources**

**WASHINGTON, DC** -- The U. S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced
today that it is making nearly \$2.5 million available to 18 Native
American tribes to advance the use of renewable energy and energy
efficient technologies on tribal lands.

"DOE is committed to helping Native American tribes develop their energy
resources," said Secretary of Energy Samuel W. Bodman. "Renewable energy
and energy efficiency technologies can play a significant role in
encouraging tribal self-sufficiency, creating jobs and improving
environmental quality."

One tribe receiving assistance is the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. Tapping
the resources of Fire Lake on their reservation in Central Oklahoma, the
tribe will use geothermal ground source heat pumps to provide
electricity to community buildings and a grocery store. The tribe, the
ninth largest tribe in the U.S. with 1,011 members, will also build a
20-by-96-foot greenhouse using previously wasted heat to grow vegetables
to sell in the reservation grocery store.

Similarly, 17 other tribes were competitively selected to receive DOE
funding for developing renewable energy technologies on their
reservations, including:

5.  **Aleutian Pribilof Islands Association (Alaska)** -- The
    Association, federally recognized as a tribal organization of the
    Aleut people in Alaska, resides in one of the windiest places in the
    world. Currently, site selection and monitoring is underway in six
    communities, including Sand Point, St. George, Adak, False Pass,
    King Cove and Nikolski, to evaluate wind energy development. The
    impact on nearby seabird colonies is also being studied.

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
1.  **Hualapai Tribe (Ariz.) --** The Hualapai plan to establish a
    tribally operated utility-scale wind farm to provide service to its
    9,000-acre tourism facility called Grand Canyon West, which has been
    without conventional grid power for the last seven years. The
    formation of a tribal utility will reduce the cost of electrical
    services and facilitate expansion of Grand Canyon West, thus
    enhancing the economic benefit for the entire tribe.

**R-05-142 (MORE)**

-2-

1.  **Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians (Minn.) --** The Red Lake Band
    wants to develop the capacity of Tribal members to conduct energy
    audits, to implement energy efficiency improvements in existing
    tribal homes and to build more energy efficient housing. The
    advancement of the capacity of Tribal members is seen as a step
    toward increased energy autonomy and sustainability on the
    reservation.

```{=html}
<!-- -->
```
6.  **Aroostook Band of Micmacs (Maine) --** The tribe plans to take
    advantage of plentiful wind and biomass resources to reduce high
    energy costs and to move toward energy self-sufficiency and energy
    security. With the third highest cost of electricity in the U.S. in
    2002, the tribe hopes to take advantage of their renewable energy
    resources as a step toward energy independence.

7.  **Grand Traverse Band (Mich.) --** The tribe will conduct a
    feasibility study to determine the cost effectiveness and benefits
    of energy conservation and expanding the diversity of energy sources
    to be used at the tribe's facilities. Use of conservation, along
    with wind, solar and biomass resources, could save the tribe tens of
    millions of dollars over the next 20 years.

> A complete list of projects follows:

  ---------------- ----------------------------- ------------- -----------
  **Applicant      **Project Title**             **Proposed    **Cost
  Name**                                         DOE Funds\*** Share**

  Agua Caliente    **Strategic Energy Plan**     \$89,312      \$15,366
  Band Cahuilla    Development for Agua Caliente               
  Indians          Band of Cahuilla Indians                    

  Aleutian         Aleutian Pribilof Island      \$194,633     \$0
  Pribilof Islands **Wind** Energy Development                 
  Association                                                  

  Aroostook Band   Micmac **Strategic Energy     \$81,320      \$10,716
  of Micmacs       Planning** Initiative                       

  Citizen          Fire Lake Hybrid              \$240,000     \$210,410
  Potawatomi       **Geothermal** Heat Pump                    
  Nation           Demonstration                               

  Confederated     Feasibility Study for         \$219,497     \$32,524
  Tribes of Warm   **Geothermal** Energy Power                 
  Springs          Development                                 

  Fort Bidwell     **Geothermal** Direct Use     \$130,492     \$9,014
  Tribe            Feasibility Study                           

  Grand Traverse   **Wind/Solar/Biomass**        \$95,810      \$8,600
  Band             Feasibility Study                           

  Hopi Tribe, The  Feasibility Study for a Hopi  \$199,381     \$118,100
                   Utility Scale **Wind**                      
                   Project "Sunset Mountains                   
                   Project"                                    

  Hualapai Tribe   Hualapai **Tribal Utility**   \$99,093      \$16,442
                   **Development** Project                     

  Jicarilla Apache Jicarilla Apache Utility      \$99,750      \$10,470
  Utility          Authority Renewable Energy                  
  Authority        and Energy Efficiency                       
                   **Strategic Planning**                      

  Little Traverse  **Wind/Solar/Biomass**        \$43,404      \$63,844
  Bay Bands        Feasibility Study                           

  Navajo Tribal    Feasibility Study to Evaluate \$250,000     \$0
  Utility          **Wind** Energy Potential on                
  Authority        the Navajo Nation                           

  Penobscot Indian **Strategic Energy Planning** \$100,000     \$0
  Nation           for the Penobscot Indian                    
                   Nation                                      

  Red Lake Band of **Capacity Development**      \$117,056     \$25,620
  Chippewa Indians Towards an Energy Efficient                 
                   Future on Red Lake                          
                   Reservation                                 

  Smith River      **Wind/Biomass** Feasibility  \$198,864     \$0
  Rancheria        Study for Power Generation                  
                   Facility                                    

  Upper Skagit     **Strategic Energy Plan** for \$99,998      \$0
  Indian Tribe     the New and Existing Lands                  

  Winnebago Tribe  **Analysis of Energy Options  \$99,752      \$6,526
  of Nebraska      Analysis and Organization                   
                   Development**                               

  Yurok Tribe      **Human Capacity Building**   \$99,609      \$0
                   in Energy Efficiency and                    
                   Renewable Energy System                     
                   Maintenance for the Yurok                   
                   Tribe                                       

  \* Subject to                                                
  negotiation and                                              
  funding ceilings                                             
  ---------------- ----------------------------- ------------- -----------

**-DOE-**

**R-05-142**