By Winona LaDuke
This winter promises to be a cold one in northern Minnesota. Federal cutbacks in energy assistance and additional power production will hit us hard. That Big Beautiful Bill will hurt Republicans and Democrats alike. Add some extreme storms, an aging grid, and we are really going to be hurting, especially if you need power in a rural area. Take Bemidji for example, that storm of the century and 106 mile an hour wind, knocked out power for 27,000 people. More will come.
Now is the time to think ahead, and Pine Point village has a solution. Pine Point School just wants Itasca Mantrap, the local cooperative, to join them and link to the 500-kw project that insures there is some power in the village in a time of extreme storms. Local power, in times of rising power outages and grid failures is the
The Big Beautiful Bill will cost us money. Energy Innovation think tank along with the US Chamber of Commerce project electric rates for Minnesotans will increase anywhere from 25 to 42%, costing ratepayers $2.6 billion over the next decade. The average Minnesota household could see its annual energy bill increase by more than $400 by 2035.
The bill guts Energy Assistance. According to the Minnesota Department of Commerce, about $125 million comes annually to the state for Energy Assistance, serving an estimated 125,000 families. Becker , Hubbard, Clearwater County, and Tribes like Red Lake and White Earth will be hit hard, where approximately 50% of the people are on Energy Assistance. That money is gone.
That’s not just a hardship for Native families, it’s a hardship for all of us, even Ferrell Gas, and Itasca Mantrap, who received major payments from Energy Assistance vouchers. That gravy train will be gone. And, in the end, it means a tough winter. There are households in Pine Point village, for instance who pay over $500 a month for power, and heat is more.
Now’s a good time to work together, and solve these challenges. Power consumption is expected to increase by four-fold over the next twenty or so years. That’s why the 500 KW Pine Point Resilience hub is a good idea, and Itasca Mantrap should want to join up. Thus far, the cooperative has said little and has not offered an agreement which would allow the Pine Point Project to link to the grid.
This project is already funded. A group of hardworking people including l0 Power, 8th Fire solar, Akiing and the Pine Point School raised all the money for this project. And, the solar panels are manufactured in Minnesota , by Helion. This seems like a win-win situation for all of us.
But we are all waiting for the Itasca Mantrap cooperative to step up and provide a fair rate to link to the grid that’s called a Power Purchase Agreement. As a member of Itasca Mantrap, I would like to see the cooperative support us.
Across the country, this type of project is increasingly common, as local communities, schools, even small industry work to bring more electricity to the grid, and solar companies, work together. A few years ago, Beltrami Electric joined Red Lake Nation and brought on line 275 kw of power to serve the community. More is coming.
Not every rural cooperative wants to work with tribes The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission ( PUC) recently scolded Minnesota Valley Cooperative for threatening to cut power to the Upper Sioux Community’s casino if the tribe turns on the 2.5 megawatt solar array.
On July 26, the PUC voted 4-0 to investigate a complaint from Upper Sioux arguing that the threat by the Minnesota Valley Cooperative Light and Power Association is illegal and discriminatory.The commission said it might resort to the extraordinary step of taking away Minnesota Valley’s right to serve the tribe with power and giving it to another provider, such as nearby Xcel Energy. The commissioners then asked state attorneys to take legal action if necessary to prevent a shutoff.
At 500 KW, the Pine Point Solar Project will be the largest project on the grid for Itasca Mantrap. The project is intended to support the Pine Point Elementary School, which pays a considerable bill because the school is l00% electric. Itasca Mantrap recently sponsored a workshop on solar, with Wolf Creek solar, because having power is good for everyone. Now is the time.
Let’s just review the challenge: Most of us are energy addicts. Pine Point got power in 1961, because of our cooperation. Since we got those power lines, we’ve been lapping it up here in the north, and today, most of our households use a good chunk of power, not just for lights, but also for all sorts of appliances. And, increasingly, many of our people need power for some medical devices. When that happens in the middle of winter it’s going to be deadly.
So, what’s wrong with bringing more renewable energy on line, …power to the people so to speak? Bob Blake, AKA Solar Bear, a Red Lake Tribal member, and one of the largest solar installers in Minnesota is positive, “Renewables are the future. And to invest renewable energy is to invest in the future…”
Let’s all step forward together, it’s time for energy security, and cooperation, the same cooperation that built the rural cooperatives and our communities.
