Office Updates
Tribal Energy Snapshot: Alaska Village Electric Cooperative and Stebbins Native Corporation
Wind Project to Save Utility and Villages $11.4 Million
 The blades of a wind turbine being lifted into place in Stebbins, Alaska.
In a new Tribal Energy Snapshot blog, learn about the wind energy project jointly developed by Alaska Village Electric Cooperative, Inc. and Stebbins Native Corporation in Alaska. The project is expected to save the utility and its member communities more than $11 million over the 25-year life of the system.
Read the Tribal Energy Snapshot.
Procurement Notice Under Indian Energy Purchase Preference
The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) announced what is expected to be the first-ever use of the Indian Energy Purchase Preference, through a presolicitation notice published March 20, 2024. The agency is preparing to solicit quotes from Tribal energy organizations to provide Energy Attribute Certificates (EACs), or Renewable Energy Certificates, for federal agencies to buy in pursuit of meeting clean energy goals.
EACs from Tribal-majority-owned energy generation facilities that generate carbon pollution-free electricity and were put in service on or after Oct. 1, 2021, are expected to be eligible to compete for the procurement.
Last year, Secretary Granholm committed to implementing the Indian Energy Purchase Preference to catalyze Tribal energy industries while meeting federal clean energy goals, and she emphasized expanding the preference to include procuring “energy products” such as EACs. Following this memo, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has worked to support GSA in increasing its procurement of Tribal energy products.
View the GSA presolicitation notice for more information on applying for this GSA contract opportunity. The Notice ID is 47PA0724Q0001.
$50 Million Funding Countdown: 50 Days Until Applications Are Due for Clean Energy Technology Deployment on Tribal Lands
 There are just over 50 days left until applications are due for the Office of Indian Energy’s Clean Energy Technology Deployment on Tribal Lands 2024 funding opportunity announcement (FOA).
On March 22, DOE doubled the funding available under this FOA from $25 million to $50 million.
The full application submission deadline is May 30, 2024, at 5 p.m. ET.
Reminders and resources:
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Apply early and edit as needed: Applicants are encouraged to submit their applications early, to avoid any last-minute technical difficulties or network congestion. Applications that are submitted early can then be edited until the final deadline.
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Questions?
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Webinar recording and slides: The Office of Indian Energy hosted an informational webinar March 14 to describe eligible projects and how to apply.
News
DOE Names First-Round Winners in Community Energy Innovation Prize
 On March 26, DOE announced 23 teams have won the CONCEPT Phase of the American-Made Community Energy Innovation Prize in the Clean Energy Ecosystem and Manufacturing Ecosystem Tracks. Each team has been awarded $100,000 in prize money and will receive in-kind mentorship and other support services throughout the subsequent prize phases.
Tribal project teams:
- RESCo Innovation Team (Rosebud Sioux Reservation, South Dakota): Clean Energy Ecosystem Track
- Eighth Generation Consulting (Osage Territory, Pawhuska, Oklahoma): Manufacturing Ecosystem Track.
These teams will move on to the PROGRESS Phase of the prize, in which they will implement their planned community projects. At the end of this phase in July 2024, teams will report on their progress and will be eligible for an additional $100,000 in prize money plus continued mentorship services.
IRS Clean Energy Credits: Online Registration Tool and Office Hours for Elective Pay and Transferability of Clean Energy Credits
The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 allows Tribal Governments and Alaskan Native Corporations to benefit from certain clean energy tax credits through elective pay. For tax years beginning after December 31, 2022, an applicable entity that qualifies for a clean energy tax credit can make an elective payment election. This election will treat certain credits as a payment against their federal income tax liabilities rather than as a nonrefundable credit. The amount of the credit will first offset any tax liability of the entity, and any excess will be refundable.
The IRS is hosting office hours for direct pay-applicable entities that have questions specifically about the prefiling registration process.
Biden-Harris Administration Launches Clean Energy Connector to Bring Nearly $15 Million in Annual Energy Savings to Up to 40,000 Low-Income Households
Families in New Mexico, Illinois, and Washington, D.C. Will now Have Access to Community Solar Through HHS’s LIHEAP
On March 19, the Biden-Harris Administration, through a partnership between DOE and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), launched the pilot of the Clean Energy Connector, a tool that connects families to solar energy through HHS’s Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).
The first-of-its-kind software can now be used by local LIHEAP program administrators in Illinois, Washington, D.C., and New Mexico to connect community solar subscriptions to as many as 40,000 households with low incomes.
Read the full announcement to learn more.
Funding Opportunities
Printable Flyer: Tribal Clean Energy Funding Opportunities
- FY24 Grid Resilience State and Tribal Formula Grants
- EPA Pollution Prevention Program Grants
- Transmission Facilitation—Microgrids in Alaska, Hawaii, and the U.S. Territories
- 2024 Renew America's Schools Prize
- Clean Energy to Communities In-Depth Partnerships.
FY24 Grid Resilience State and Tribal Formula Grants
$562 million
Allocation requests and applications due April 17, 2024.
On Jan. 18, DOE released the Grid Resilience State and Tribal Formula Grant fiscal year 2024 (FY24) Administrative and Legal Requirements Document to open the allocation request and application period for FY24 grant funding. Supported by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, these grants help modernize the electric grid to reduce the impacts of climate-driven extreme weather and natural disasters while also ensuring the reliability of the power sector.
EPA Pollution Prevention Program Grants
$24 million
Applications due May 17, 2024.
On, March 18, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the availability of nearly $24 million in grants to support states, U.S. territories, and Tribes in providing technical assistance to businesses to develop and adopt pollution prevention practices. The funding is available through two Notice of Funding Opportunities for EPA’s Pollution Prevention program, with approximately $14 million in grants available at no cost-share/-match requirement, thanks to funding made possible by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
“Supporting Pollution Prevention in Indian Country and for Alaska Native Villages” is one of the six National Emphasis Areas established to generate the most beneficial economic, environmental, and health impacts when applying pollution prevention practices and to help share information among grantees working on similar issues.
- Eligible applicants include federally recognized Tribes and intertribal consortia.
 Transmission Facilitation Program Public-Private Partnerships to Connect Microgrids in Alaska, Hawaii, and U.S. Territories
$200 million
Applications due May 31.
On Feb. 29, 2024, DOE announced a Request for Proposals for up to $200 million for transmission projects to connect remote and isolated microgrids to existing infrastructure corridors in Alaska, Hawaii, and the territories of the United States.
This Request for Proposals will be designed to address the unique electric grid configurations and challenges faced by residents in these remote and often isolated communities. Strategically interconnecting existing microgrids to each other and to a larger operating transmission system will enhance grid reliability and resilience and expand access to clean, diverse, and more affordable energy in these areas.
 2024 Renew America's Schools Prize
$180 million
Applications due June 13.
On March 20, DOE opened applications for the 2024 Renew America's Schools Prize, which will award $180 million to districts across the country engaging in strategic partnerships to build capacity and implement energy upgrades at K-12 schools, lowering energy use and costs, improving indoor air quality, and fostering healthier learning environments, with a focus on schools that serve disadvantaged communities, including those with a high percentage of students eligible for free and reduced-price lunch, and/or which qualify as rural.
Eligible improvements—like new HVAC and ventilation systems, building envelope and lighting projects, alternative fuel (such as electric) vehicles and infrastructure, and renewable energy technologies—will improve energy performance and/or lead to improvements in student, educator, and staff health.
 Apply for Clean Energy to Communities In-Depth Partnerships
$500,000 in subcontracting funding; $3.5 million in technical assistance
Proposals due June 14.
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory is now accepting proposals from new communities to join in-depth partnerships through DOE’s Clean Energy to Communities program.
Communities can submit proposals for up to $500,000 in subcontracting funding and $3,500,000 in technical assistance from one or more national laboratories to develop secure, reliable, resilient, equitable, and affordable clean energy systems. Proposals are welcome from community teams composed of at least one local government, a community-based organization, and an eligible electric utility.
Events
- Grid Resilience Formula Grants Tribal Office Hours
- Arctic Encounter Anchorage 2024
- Tribal Offshore Wind Transmission Informational Webinar
- Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium Tribal Climate Initiatives Gathering.
Grid Resilience Formula Grants Tribal Office Hours
📅 April 9 | 3–4 p.m. ET
The Grid Development Office will be available to answer questions and offer guidance for Tribes about the Grid Resilience State and Tribal Formula Grant FY24 Administrative and Legal Requirements Document.
Arctic Encounter Anchorage 2024
📅 April 10–12 | Anchorage, Alaska
Tribal Offshore Wind Transmission Informational Webinar
📅 April 10 | 12–2 p.m. MT
Tribal members and staff are invited to join an informational webinar on offshore wind transmission topics. This 2-hour webinar, supported by DOE’s Tribal Nation Offshore Wind Transmission Technical Assistance Program and facilitated by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, will provide an overview of offshore wind transmission technologies, as well as planning and decision-making processes.
The webinar will also highlight the technical assistance and participation support that the program can provide to help Tribes as they engage in offshore wind transmission discussions and decision-making.
ANTHC Tribal Climate Initiatives Gathering
📅 May 21–23 | Anchorage, Alaska
The first annual Tribal Climate Initiatives Gathering will be hosted by the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC) with sponsorship support from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Building upon The Unmet Needs of Environmentally Threatened Alaska Native Villages: Assessment and Recommendations (ANTHC 2024), participants will hear firsthand community experiences, discuss report recommendations, and explore concrete actions to support environmentally threatened Alaska Native communities through a whole-of-government coordination framework.
For more information, contact Jackie Qataliña Schaeffer, Director, ANTHC Climate Initiatives: jdschaeffer@anthc.org.
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