Post by Okwes on Mar 6, 2006 13:38:36 GMT -5
Hoopa tribe gets $103,000 for river hydropower study
Hoopa tribe gets $103,000 for river hydropower study
by Rebecca S. Bender, 3/4/2006
www.eurekareporter.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?ArticleID=8987
<http://www.eurekareporter.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?ArticleID=8987>
The Hoopa Valley Tribe is getting a $103,000 boost from the U.S.
Department of Energy to study the feasibility of harnessing water power
from Trinity River tributaries to generate electricity.
"We're looking at a number of small-scale systems to decrease
our consumption substantially and to increase our independence,"
said Curtis Miller, environmental planner for the Hoopa Tribal
Environmental Protection Agency and the author of the grant application.
"We get a lot of power outages up here."
In addition to providing electricity to the reservation, thus reducing
its physical and economic reliance on outside sources, excess energy
could be sold back to Pacific Gas and Electric Co., he said.
The Hoopa Valley Tribe's reservation is bisected by the Trinity
River, into which many smaller creeks and streams flow. These
tributaries are the focus of the proposed hydropower systems, not the
main river, as was reported in a DOE news release.
"We are not channeling water from the Trinity," Miller
emphasized. "We would borrow water from the tributaries — and
then put it back."
The feasibility study will assess the capability of a number of small,
on-site hydroelectric systems. It will also identify issues related to
construction and ongoing operations, including potential impacts on
stream flow, natural resources, endangered species and the community.
"Our focus is on making sure that we maintain the environment, first
and foremost," Miller said.
The tribe will contribute nearly $17,000, much of it in in-kind goods
and services, bringing the total funding allocated for the study to more
than $120,000.
The award was one of 11 bestowed on Native American tribes for renewable
energy projects. A total of $1.5 million was handed out for wind, water,
solar, biomass and hybrid project studies and implementation. The Hoopa
Valley Tribe received the fifth largest award nationally.
Although a DOE news release announcing the award was widely disseminated
to the media on Tuesday, Miller said on Thursday that the tribe had yet
to receive any notification of the honor.
"It's curious; we haven't even heard of it," he said.
"We'll remain cautiously happy until we actually see
something."
Hoopa tribe gets $103,000 for river hydropower study
by Rebecca S. Bender, 3/4/2006
www.eurekareporter.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?ArticleID=8987
<http://www.eurekareporter.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?ArticleID=8987>
The Hoopa Valley Tribe is getting a $103,000 boost from the U.S.
Department of Energy to study the feasibility of harnessing water power
from Trinity River tributaries to generate electricity.
"We're looking at a number of small-scale systems to decrease
our consumption substantially and to increase our independence,"
said Curtis Miller, environmental planner for the Hoopa Tribal
Environmental Protection Agency and the author of the grant application.
"We get a lot of power outages up here."
In addition to providing electricity to the reservation, thus reducing
its physical and economic reliance on outside sources, excess energy
could be sold back to Pacific Gas and Electric Co., he said.
The Hoopa Valley Tribe's reservation is bisected by the Trinity
River, into which many smaller creeks and streams flow. These
tributaries are the focus of the proposed hydropower systems, not the
main river, as was reported in a DOE news release.
"We are not channeling water from the Trinity," Miller
emphasized. "We would borrow water from the tributaries — and
then put it back."
The feasibility study will assess the capability of a number of small,
on-site hydroelectric systems. It will also identify issues related to
construction and ongoing operations, including potential impacts on
stream flow, natural resources, endangered species and the community.
"Our focus is on making sure that we maintain the environment, first
and foremost," Miller said.
The tribe will contribute nearly $17,000, much of it in in-kind goods
and services, bringing the total funding allocated for the study to more
than $120,000.
The award was one of 11 bestowed on Native American tribes for renewable
energy projects. A total of $1.5 million was handed out for wind, water,
solar, biomass and hybrid project studies and implementation. The Hoopa
Valley Tribe received the fifth largest award nationally.
Although a DOE news release announcing the award was widely disseminated
to the media on Tuesday, Miller said on Thursday that the tribe had yet
to receive any notification of the honor.
"It's curious; we haven't even heard of it," he said.
"We'll remain cautiously happy until we actually see
something."