Close to Home: A tribe’s vision of community sustainability

In 1983, the federal government restored the sovereign rights and land of my tribe — Blue Lake Rancheria. Since then, our goal has been to be both entirely self-sustaining and a vibrant partner with our neighboring communities. Clean energy is key. Our microgrid system has allowed us to keep the lights on when local power companies cannot. After the Dec. 22 earthquake, the rancheria was one of the few places in the area with fuel and power. For 11 hours, we were a literal shining light in the mostly darkened Humboldt County region.

Last year’s federal climate legislation — the Inflation Reduction Act — provides new clean energy funding opportunities to help other tribal and rural communities like us be resilient.

Long-term planning to achieve self-sustainability — starting with a micro clean energy grid — has been almost 20 years in the making for Blue Lake Rancheria. When planning to add a hotel to our tribe’s casino in 2006, our Tribal Council had the foresight to include a goal of reducing the site’s water and energy usage by 20%-30%. We planned for the future installation of rooftop solar and stand-alone battery systems, when such technology was not yet widely available. In 2009, we started building the first gas station on the rancheria and planned for its pump canopy to be microgrid-ready.

Since that time, the entire rancheria has become a model for what can be done in other rural areas. The stand-alone battery system at the casino allows us to save food and other things that need refrigeration during power shut-offs. During last year’s wildfire season, eight people with high-risk medical issues were put up in our hotel because we could keep the lights on and power flowing during PG&E’s power grid shut-offs.

The battery system at the gas station keeps the pumps running for emergency services. In recent years, we’ve provided support for emergency service vehicles fighting the now-annual wildfires exacerbated by climate change. No other fuel stations in the area can operate off the grid and keep service going — but we can.

Such upfront infrastructure investments have been costly, but we’ve used every means at our disposal to help fund them. It’s been worth it. Our partnership with Cal Poly Humboldt, Schatz Energy Research Center and the Redwood Coast Energy Authority led to us building the largest microgrid in Humboldt County.

This microgrid — powered by a 2-acre solar farm — now helps power the casino and hotel. The upfront cost of installation was high, but the project powers over 140,000 square feet of building space and saves the tribe over $200,000 every year. The casino and hotel could be disconnected from the grid and run off battery power and a 1 meg diesel generator for months.

The clean energy provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act will assist in funding these crucial projects and continuing these partnerships. The legislation includes $145.5 million for tribal electrification through the Bureau of Indian Affairs for repairing, retrofitting and transitioning tribal homes to pollution-free energy systems. This is the kind of government action and leadership we need to address the climate crisis and build community resilience.

The tribe’s overarching goal is for the rancheria to be entirely self-reliant. We are well on our way to building resiliency as a sovereign nation, while also being a reliable partner that gives back to and supports its neighbors. Both are important to the tribe — we don’t live in silos, and climate change affects us all. My tribe’s efforts show how building a clean energy future is the only path forward.

Jace Baldosser is a member of the Blue Lake Rancheria tribe in Humboldt County.

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