By SCOTT MCKIE B.P.
One Feather Asst. Editor
CHEROKEE, N.C. – The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) has received an almost $5 million Climate Pollution Reduction Grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In all, $300 million was awarded to 33 federally recognized tribes and one U.S. territory out of 110 applications.
The funding came from President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act. According to a release from the EPA, “When estimates provided by all selected applicants are combined, the proposed projects would cumulatively reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) pollution by over 7 million metric tons of carbon dioxide by 2050 – equivalent to the carbon dioxide emitted from nearly 1.4 million homes’ electricity use for one year.”
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) has received an almost $5 million Climate Pollution Reduction Grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). A solar microgrid, shown at the Cherokee Boys Club on the morning of Friday, Nov. 22, is part of that grant funding and will power the CBC’s electric bus fleet. (SCOTT MCKIE B.P./One Feather photos)
The estimated GHG reduction for the EBCI for the next five years (2025-30) is 25,400 metric tons of carbon dioxide and 151,000 metric tons in the time period 2025-50.
“The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians received notification of funding from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG) in the amount of $4,999,999, emphasizing sustainable energy infrastructure, cleaner transportation, resiliency, and education,” said Katie Tiger, EBCI Air Quality Program supervisor. “The proposed implementation activities will serve as a catalyst for EBCI in achieving greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions. The EPA CPRG Program is a significant opportunity for EBCI to receive critical funding to reduce GHG emissions and demonstrate the EBCI’s commitment to a sustainable and resilient future. Applying innovative and highly efficient technologies to all aspects of EBCI operations is required to enable the change necessary to achieve the EBCI’s alternative energy and climate goals. It will also be critical to ensure that an interactive community dialogue guides our work, regarding how climate resiliency initiatives impact the daily livelihood and health of community members.”
Tiger noted that many entities have been involved in this effort. “EBCI Natural Resources Dept. Air Quality Program believes this implementation approach demonstrates the holistic and deliberate planning processes that EBCI has completed to determine the most effective GHG reduction measures to implement. We have engaged with EBCI leadership, EBCI communities, Cherokee Central Schools’ leadership, the local utility (Duke Energy), and leaders across key partner organizations at every step of the planning process. Primary organizations involved in this application were EBCI, the Cherokee Boys Club (CBC), North Carolina State University’s Carolinas Collaborative on Climate, Health, and Equity (C3HE), Critical Services Microgrid Group (CSMG), and North Carolina’s Clean Energy Technology Center (NCCETC).”
Tiger provided the following summary of projects that will be carried out due to this grant funding:
- The Cherokee Boys Club (CBC) will install a solar microgrid and storage system at the CBC school bus depot to power electric buses and deliver energy resiliency. Also powered by the microgrid will be a zero-emissions Class 8 truck to haul trash 103 miles to Homer, GA, six days a week. In addition to powering electric buses and delivering energy resiliency, this project will continue to utilize a local waste stream (fats and oils) to make biodiesel, which will be used in a generator for backup power when sunlight is insufficient. Implementing a microgrid to charge the fully electric school bus fleet will reduce local emissions that cause climate change and create an opportunity for the CBC, EBCI, and Cherokee Central Schools (CCS) to be more energy independent and resilient in this changing climate.
- The rooftops of the EBCI Council House and Tribal Operations Program (TOP) office buildings and the New Kituwah Academy will harness solar power to significantly reduce GHG emissions, showing EBCI’s commitment to environmental stewardship and fostering a sustainable learning environment.
- Furthering EBCI’s green initiative, CBC and CCS plan to install Electric Vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure throughout the town of Cherokee to support the widespread adoption of EVs, simultaneously promoting zero-emission transportation and reductions in GHG pollution.
“The proposed reduction measures are set to significantly benefit the EBCI, propelling the tribe toward energy independence,” Tiger said. “Given the high energy costs and the susceptibility of the Qualla Boundary to power disruptions, these measures are crucial. The implementation of a microgrid will offer resilience, especially during the climate change-induced events recently experienced predicted for our area.
The installation of solar arrays is a pivotal step, reducing the need for expanding traditional grids, thus preserving the land and creating jobs. This green infrastructure, coupled with electric vehicle use, is expected to cut GHG emissions substantially, improving air quality and health outcomes.”
Michael S. Regan, EPA administrator, said in a statement, “The tribal and territory leaders selected will fund innovative projects that improve air quality, deliver cleaner affordable electricity, and create economic and workforce opportunities that can be scaled up and replicated across tribal lands and U.S. territories.”
Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland said in a statement that the grants “builds on our work at the Interior Department to electrify tribal homes, upgrade sanitation and irrigation systems on tribal lands, and invest in climate resilience and adaptation measures that will serve these communities for generations to come.”
In April, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Priority Climate Action Plan was prepared by EBCI Natural Resources Dept. and NC State’s Carolina Collaborative on Climate, Health, & Equity, a NOAA Climate Adaptation Partnerships team. The purpose and scope of the CAP states, “The primary purpose of our Climate Action Plan is to develop a strategic, coordinated roadmap for reducing greenhouse gas emissions by leveraging this EPA-funded planning process with existing and ongoing efforts already underway within tribal government departments. Ultimately, our hope is not to develop another report to sit on a shelf, but rather take a top-down and bottom-up approach to listening and learning from tribal government, tribal entities, and community members to understand local climate concerns and identify actionable strategies we can take now and in the future for our community. We echo the recent Fifth National Climate Assessment that ‘self-determination is key to implementing effective resilience strategies that meet the needs of Indigenous communities’.”
Tiger noted other benefits that will come out of this funding for the EBCI community. “Educational and employment opportunities arising from these measures will not only raise renewable energy awareness but also promote the use of cleaner vehicles. Equitable access to EV charging stations across the Qualla Boundary will foster a community-wide shift to sustainable transportation. Moreover, these initiatives promise to galvanize investment in renewable technologies—a crucial step as outlined by the DOE 2023 – bolstering local economic growth and offering employment opportunities for tribal members.”
The EBCI has already been a leader in electric vehicles having received the first electric school bus in the State of North Carolina in March 2022. Earlier this year, the CBC, the EBCI tribal entity that operates the school buses for the Cherokee Central Schools system, received 15 new buses due to funding from the EPA’s Clean School Bus Program – bringing their total to 21.
At the time of receiving the new buses, Greg Owle, CBC general manager, told the One Feather, “We’ll be one of the first school systems to be able to run an entire fleet of electric school buses. It’s cutting the cost of us having to put diesel fuel in them. We’ll have zero particulates in the air so we can provide a healthier riding environment for our student.”
Each bus is emblazoned with a placard reading Native Electric which is the partnership between the EBCI Air Quality Program and CBC. Owle noted at the time, “We couldn’t have done this by ourselves. The Tribe has been very helpful and proactive in getting us where we need to be and making sure, even with the infrastructure, that we have the money available. We contribute our part, they contribute a huge part, to make sure that we can get our charging stations and all the things put in place.”
The first electric school bus for Cherokee was the result of a collaboration between the CBC and the EBCI Air Quality Program who received a grant from the N.C. Phase I Volkswagen (VW) Mitigation Program in 2021.
