American Indian Report - May 2008 - (Page 12)

Green Technology Harnessing Resources to Build a Tribal Economy By Michelle Tirado AS STEwArDS oF ThE EArTh, native American people have always strived to be green. But can they be greener? Absolutely. with the technologies that the 20th and 21st centuries have brought, that is exactly what many have set out to do. we see this pursuit particularly in the area of energy. whether it’s a small system to heat a tribal building or a large-scale commercial operation, more and more tribes are evaluating their resources and implementing renewable energy projects. The big five green technologies are biomass, hydro, geothermal, solar and wind. There are more than 560 federally recognized tribes, with a little less than half in Alaska. Scanning the country, dozens have renewable projects underway and dozens more are doing feasibility studies. There are so many reasons for tribes to adopt green energy technologies — sovereignty/selfdetermination, their spiritual bond with the earth and economic diversification, just to name a few. There are so many reason to do it now, including two recently enacted federal laws, the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, which provide loads of incentives. The renewable resources are there. The great Plains has plenty of wind; the Southwest is sun-drenched; the Upper Midwest, Pacific northwest and Alaska are carpeted with timber; geothermal reservoirs lay beneath most western states. 12 May 2008 American Indian Report http://www.epa.gov/OUST/fedlaws/publ_109-058.pdf http://www.epa.gov/OUST/fedlaws/publ_109-058.pdf http://energy.senate.gov/public/_files/RL342941.pdf http://energy.senate.gov/public/_files/RL342941.pdf

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of American Indian Report - May 2008

American Indian Report - May 2008 Contents Courts: Blackfeet Housing Authority Can Be Sued For Unhealthy Homes Congress: Activity on the Hill Ethics & Standards of Conduct: Personal Use of Tribal Property Policy: "Meriless Indian Savages" and the Declaration of Independence Green Technology Grants: New DOJ Program Provides Funding For Rape Crisis Centers Listen & Learn: Multiple Indirect Cost Rates Sweet Success Penobscot Nation Restores Cultural Use of Water Tribes Diversify with Private Equity Fund The Native American YouTube Tribal Government: An Introduction to Strategic Planning

American Indian Report - May 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.