2008 Projects Funding History
In fiscal year 2008, the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) Tribal Energy Program issued two project funding opportunity announcements:
- Renewable Energy Deployment in Alaska Native Villages
- Renewable Energy or Energy Efficiency Deployment in Indian Country (Contiguous 48 States).
Applications for financial assistance were solicited from federally recognized tribes, Alaska Native villages or regional or village corporations, and Tribal Energy Resource Development Organizations.
Two applications were selected for funding in 2008. Following is the text of the award announcement.
Award Announcement
DOE will make available up to $2.3 million for two renewable energy projects selected for negotiation of awards that support the advancement of renewable energy technologies on tribal lands and in rural Alaskan villages.
The Council of Athabascan Tribal Governments, a consortium of ten Gwich'in and Koyukon Athabascan tribes in 10 remote villages along Alaska's Yukon River, will develop a biomass energy program. Their Fort Yukon Wood Energy Project will use wood fuel to displace diesel fuel used for heating. The region is rich in forest resources but the tribes face a daily struggle to meet their communities' energy needs. The Fort Yukon school and gym use 30,000 gallons of fuel oil annually for heat, and that fuel oil must be flown or barged in to each community. Once established, this project will serve as a model for similar sustainable biomass projects in Interior Alaska.
Also selected was the Yakama Nations' Wapato Hydroelectric Project. Under this project, the Yakama Nation in Washington state will install inflow water turbines (as part of their Wapato Irrigation Project) to generate one megawatt of electricity. The use of the flow of water to generate electricity is not expected to interfere with the primary purpose of the water system which will continue to supply irrigation to the 142,000 acres of land on the Yakama Reservation.
The awards are cost-shared, with the Council of Athabascan Tribal Governments requesting $1.2 million in DOE funding and the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation requesting about $1.1 million.