The Bureau of Indian Affairs the Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians will move forward in creating a Tribal Energy Development Organization.
The U.S. Department of the Interior Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Bryan Newland announced March 16 the approval of the application for the formation of the Tribal Energy Development Organization, an organization that will be majority-owned by the Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians.
“The Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians is reclaiming its sovereign authority to control the development of energy resources," Newland said. "This is an exciting development that will lead to greater energy security for their people’s comfort and prosperity.”
With the organization officially approved, the Red Band of Chippewa Indians will not have to undergo any secretarial review when it enters into a lease or business agreement or enters into rights-of-way with the tribal energy development organization, according to the news release. The decision to approve the organization's formation makes the Minnesota Tribe the first to receive such approval, a move that will serve to support the ongoing effort to develop renewable energy resources within the state.
“The ultimate goal is for the Red Lake Nation to be energy independent so that we do not have to rely on any outside sources for our electricity,” Chairman Darrell G. Seki Sr., said in the 2020 State of the Band address, as reported March 16 by Indianz News.
In early 2020, the Red Band of Chippewa Indians was working towards acquiring new solar energy sources as they built the foundation for the tribal energy utility. Later that year, the reservation planned for a 240-kilowatt solar array installation on the roof of a workforce training center that would support half the building's energy needs, a project that was at least partially paid for with crowdfunding, according to Energy News Network.
