HomeMy WebLinkAbout3- Outside Entity Resolutions of Support G (09-46)CENTRAL COUNCIL
thmpt and haiaa m0ian UNBEs of alaska
ANDREW P. HOPE BUILDING
320 West Willoughby Avenue • Suite 300
Juneau, Alaska 99801-1726
CENTRAL COUNCIL OF TLINGIT AND HAIDA INDIAN TRIBES OF ALASKA
Seventy -Fourth Annual Tribal Assembly
April 15-18, 2009
Juneau, Alaska
Resolution TA/ 09-46
Title: Renewable Energy and Alternative Fuels for our Communities
By: Delegates Bob Loescher, Floyd Kookesh, Selina Everson
WHEREAS, Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska (Central
Council) is a federally recognized tribe of more than 26,000 tribal citizens; and
WHEREAS, the cost of energy and the cost of fuels has continued to increase and
continues to be a burden on tribal members and their businesses; and
WHEREAS, despite these millions of dollars of public investments, many of our
Southeast Alaskan Native communities remain isolated when alternatives such as line extensions
can connect these communities to existing low cost utilities;
WHEREAS, protectionist practices including maintaining unfair status quo by the
Regulatory Commission of Alaska with respect to generating and transmitting utility districts
disproportionately impacts predominately Alaska Native communities;
WHEREAS, the Executive Council adopted the 2009 Strategic Energy Plan; and
WHEREAS, to bring meaningful change to our region we need a systemic fix through a
Regional Transmission Organization (RTO), and that development of a community -run RTO
will facilitate an electrical intertie between our communities and their energy sources; and
WHEREAS, Central Council is the best single source in Southeast Alaska to help our
communities to receive and account for public and private funds for energy related projects,
programs and development; and
WHEREAS, the Federal and State government have subsidized and awarded hundreds of
millions of dollars to urban and predominately non -Native communities to develop hydropower
and transmission lines here in Southeast Alaska; and
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TA Resolution 09-46
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WHEREAS, despite these millions of dollars of public investments, many of our
Southeast Alaskan Native communities are on diesel generation and high administrative and
overhead costs associated with diesel generation; and
WHEREAS, we have Native village corporations and Native communities such as Haida
Corporation, Kake Tribal Corporation, Kootznoowoo Incorporated and the City of Angoon filing
federal permits, and making investments and partnerships in renewable energy development and
operations; and
WHEREAS, Native entities should own and control Southeast Alaska renewable energy
resources where possible and support the needed public investments in transmission line
extensions to connect our communities; and
WHEREAS, as a result of this situation many of these entrepreneurial Native village
corporations and in some cases desperate communities deserve full political and financial
support and encouragement from all tribal entities, ANCSA corporations and Native non-profit
agencies for their leadership and investments to help themselves to lead and assist our
conununities toward renewable energy development and alternative fuels in order to lower
energy costs for our people, to help end outmigration from their communities, to create
renewable energy jobs and to preserve the economic livelihood that is impacting our diesel
disadvantaged communities; and
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Seventy -Fourth General Assembly of
Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska convened in Juneau, Alaska on
April 15 — 18, 2009 hereby reaffirms Resolution GA 08-03, Declaration of Emergency Related to
Energy; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Central Council supports the Coastal
Community Gas Utility Project for twenty four communities, the AK -BC energy transmission
line near Wrangell, Reynolds Creek project for Haida Corporation and Hydaburg, Thayer Creek
project for Kootznoowoo Incorporated, Scenery Lake project for the City of Angoon and
Kootznoowoo, Incorporated and Cascade Creek project for Kake Tribal Corporation because all
of these projects will reduce the cost of power and fuels to our rural Native communities; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the federal and state government should
immediately fiend our Southeast Intertie under the Central Council Regional Transmission
Authority (RTA) proposal; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we request that the federal and state government
support all Native owned, controlled and those that have Native participation in renewable
energy and alternative fuels projects that will provide much needed low cost renewable energy
resources for our people to end outmigration, increase our economic development, increase our
TA Resolution 09-46
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job base and to better our current and future generations struggling to raise families in our
traditional rural and urban communities that are diesel disadvantaged; and
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that tribal implementation of the energy program as
described above is subject to available federal, state and other funds and subject to approval of
the Executive Committee upon recommendation of the Finance Committee.
ADOPTED this 18`h day of April 2009, by the Seventy -Fourth Tribal Assembly of
Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska.
CERTIFY
President William E. Martin
ATTEST
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Tribal Secretary Michele Metz