Alaskans were a strong part of the mix at the sold-out 2024 Tribal Clean Energy Summit in sunny Temecula, California this week, gathering with over 700 tribal leaders, nonprofits, energy companies, and federal staff.
March 1, 2024
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Alaskans were a strong part of the mix at the sold-out 2024 Tribal Clean Energy Summit in sunny Temecula, California this week, gathering with over 700 tribal leaders, nonprofits, energy companies, federal staff, and more to exchange ideas and hear updates on clean energy projects nationwide.
At the Summit, held February 27 and 28, the Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm announced that the Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations Office has selected over $125 million for selected projects in Alaska as part of the Energy Improvements in Rural or Remote Areas (ERA) Program.
The ERA program aims to improve the resilience, reliability, and affordability of energy systems in communities across the country with 10,000 or fewer people. In Alaska, communities in Chignik Bay, Old Harbor, Nulato, Huslia, Kaltag, Grayling, Anvik, Shageluk, Holy Cross, Angoon, and villages across the Northwest Arctic Borough will see reduced energy costs and boosted resiliency thanks to these investments. Attendees from Old Bay, the Northwest Arctic Borough, and Tanana Chiefs Conference – representing teams with selected projects – were at the Summit and personally recognized by Secretary Granholm.
BLOG: Get to Know the Latest Clean Energy Projects Selectees from Remote or Rural Alaska
The Arctic Energy Office had a booth at the conference alongside other Department of Energy Offices in an active hallway nearby tribal artisans and fashion companies selling Indigenous-designed and made items. Comedian, writer, and actor Jana Schmieding (Lakota Native) served as the emcee and brought joy to the proceedings throughout, and the event ended with a round dance outdoors, led by the Indian Hill Singers on drums.
Some of the attendees (Arctic Energy Office included) toured the co-generation plant and back-up diesel generators on site at the resort and casino (which can see as many as 100,000+ visitors daily). Pechanga Western Electric is the tribally-owned utility operated by the Pechanga Band of Indians who served as the conference hosts.
The Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs, under the leadership of Director Wahleah Johns, and their staff did an amazing job hosting an impactful Summit. We look forward to continuing to work with them and Alaskan Tribal entities and Arctic stakeholders to advance clean energy resiliency and decarbonization throughout the Arctic and especially for the nearly 40% of the U.S.’s tribes that are located in Alaska.
FEATURED ALASKAN VOICES
Several panels featured Alaskans sharing their clean energy projects and unique experiences including AlexAnna Salmon (Yup’ik and Aleut), Council President, Igiugig Village; Keolani Booth (Metlakatla Indian Community), Councilman, Metlakatla Indian Community; Katya Karankevich, Project Manager for Rural Energy, Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium; Ingemar Mathiasson, Renewable Energy Manager, Northwest Arctic Borough; Eddie Dellamary, Rural Energy Specialist, Tanana Chiefs Conference; Iris Friday (Tlingit), Native American Program Specialist, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of Native American Programs; and Amanda Toerdal, Pilgrim Hot Springs General Manager, Kawerak, Inc.
Arctic Energy Ambassadors Eddie Dellamary, Amanda Toerdal, and Kathleen Stuckey were all at the Summit and had the opportunity to share their work as Ambassadors with other attendees, as well as to participate in the standing monthly Arctic Energy Ambassadors meeting with the remainder of their cohort alongside Katie Conway from the Denali Commission and the Arctic Energy Office.
RESOURCE REVIEW
Make sure to take a look at these resources that were highlighted at the Summit --- you don’t have to have traveled to California to get engaged with these exciting programs:
Tribal Nations and Native Communities Resource Guide
Tribes and tribal entities like Alaska Native Corporations and Alaskan Native Villages are eligible to apply for billions of dollars in competitive and other clean energy funding under the Biden-Harris Administration. See how in this guide.
Tribal Home Electrification and Appliance Rebates Program
This program will provide up to $14,000 per eligible household for energy efficiency and electrification home upgrades. The Home Electrification and Appliance Rebates cannot be combined with other federal grants for the same single measure within a home energy upgrade. On November 17, 2023, DOE published its final formula for the Tribal Home Electrification and Appliance Rebates program funding allocations in the Federal Register
Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants
This program is designed to assist states, local governments, and tribes in implementing strategies to reduce energy use, to reduce fossil fuel emissions, and to improve energy efficiency. Applications are open now.
Communities Sparking Investments in Transformative Energy (C-SITE) funding opportunity
Under the new Local Government Energy Program, C-SITE will award approximately $18 million to implement municipally- or Tribal-led, high-impact clean energy projects in disadvantaged communities, energy communities, small- and medium-sized cities and towns, and Tribal communities. Apply by May 31.
Tax-exempt and governmental entities will, for the first time, be able to receive a payment equal to the full value of tax credits for building qualifying clean energy projects.
Clean Energy Innovator Fellowship
Apply to host a fellow for free support for two years, for a project that can impact your clean energy transition. Fellows from diverse backgrounds spend up to two years with eligible Host Institutions, which may include electric cooperatives, grid operators, municipal utilities, public utility commissions, state energy offices and tribal entities. Innovator Fellows receive a stipend to support their participation in the CEIF program and an allowance for education and professional development opportunities. Applications for host institutions close on March 5.
AnneMarie Horowitz
AnneMarie Horowitz is the Chief of Staff for the Arctic Energy Office. She joined the Arctic Energy Office in May 2023, and previously served as the Acting Communications Director until September 2023. AnneMarie has been with the Energy Department since 2010, and was previously on the digital team of the Office of Public Affairs, where she managed digital projects and internal employee communications efforts. AnneMarie was the Digital Communications Manager from March 2023 - September 2023 for the Department of Health and Human Affairs' Public Education Campaign, We Can Do This, to share information about the COVID vaccine.
AnneMarie founded two active employee resource groups at the Department of Energy: POWER (Professional Opportunities for Women in Energy Realized) and the Emerging Professionals Group. From 2015 - 2017 she served as the Special Advisor on workforce issues for Deputy Secretary of Energy Dr. Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall. She has also previously worked in the Under Secretary for Management and Performance and the Office of Economic Impact and Diversity.
AnneMarie created the STEM Rising: Women @ Energy series, featuring profiles of women from the agency who work in STEM careers. She was critical to establishing the Equality in Energy Transitions Initiative, a dual-hatted effort of the International Energy Agency and the Clean Energy Ministerial to advance the transition to a clean energy economy by engaging more women in clean energy, and is involved with the U.S. C3E Initiative as an award reviewer and communication. During the Obama Administration she was a DOE designee to the White House Council on Women and Girls. AnneMarie was a U.S. delegate to the APEC Women in the Economy Forum in 2014 in Beijing, China.
AnneMarie has a BA in Political Science from the University of Portland and a Masters of Government from Johns Hopkins University. She resides in Philadelphia.