In the shadow of a #nuclear plant, #PrairieIsland celebrates steps toward a green future
The Tribal Nation is about two years into an effort to cut its members’ energy costs with a solar field and other eco-friendly projects. 

By Gustav DeMars, October 1, 2023

"Prairie island first contacted legislators in 2018 to get support for the project, Johnson said. It wasn’t until two years later in 2020 that Governor Tim Walz signed legislation greenlighting the project.

"The Prairie Island Indian Community reservation, which lies along the Mississippi and Vermillion rivers in and adjacent to Red Wing in southeastern Minnesota, is home to descendants of the Mdewakanton Band of Eastern Dakota.

"Johnson’s family had no electricity or running water until 1968, when the federal government built 12 homes in the community. Tribal members now live in about 150 homes. The reservation operates the Treasure Island Casino, which has operated since the 1980s.

"White Earth Tribal College becomes a bright spot for solar-energy job training.
Native-run solar firm aims to lower heating emissions and costs.

"As the community has grown, so has the need for energy. Now built atop what was once an unused pile of sand dredged from the Mississippi is a mostly complete 5.4-megawatt field of #solar panels that Prairie Island leaders hope will be a step toward what they call 'energy sovereignty.'

"The solar field is not currently in operation; it’s expected to be up and running in early 2024.

"Energy has long been a topic of conversation for Prairie Island’s community, which sits in the shadow of one of Minnesota’s two nuclear power plants. In 1973, the federal government authorized construction of the facility less than a mile from the reservation. 

"Over the years, many Prairie Island tribal members have voiced dismay that the plant and #NuclearWaste storage are so close to their reservation. In March, Xcel Energy agreed to increase its annual payment to the community from $2.5 million to $10 million to compensate it for storing spent nuclear waste near its land."

Full article:
https://sahanjournal.com/climate-environment/prairie-island-indian-community-celebrates-green-future/ 

#NoNukes NoNewNukes #RenewablesNow #PrairieIslandIndianCommunity #EnergySovereignty #SolarFields