Think Green Live Clean

Photo Credit: Piermario

It would be safe to say that most of us have never given much thought to the desert mountains east of San Diego, where over 300 members of an influential Indian tribe exist.  In fact, the Campo Kumeyaay Nation is one of its kind in terms of the environment: the reservation is home to the only large-scale renewable energy plant on Indian land in our country.

The wind farm (which went online back in 2005) provides electricity to up to 35,000 homes in San Diego country.  But why a wind farm on a tribal reservation?  The plant actually posed as an alternative to Golden Acorn Casino.  Yes, a casino- one that provided the economic support needed for the community educational programs, fire department, among other societal necessities.  However, the effects of a depressed economy and increased unemployment left the tribe with the need for an alternative- and an environmental one it was.

The Campo tribe is already in negotiations to build an even larger wind project that will be their own and not just the land.  But there is one obstacle that gets in the way of renewable energy option for tribes across the nation: taxes.  Because Indian tribes are semi-sovereign nations, they can’t collect federal tax credits (credits that can cut the price of a wind/solar project in half) for renewable energy.  While tribes are already eligible for some stimulus funding, it is now a matter of passing legislation to pass that will extend these credits to Indian tribes.  It would open another door for opportunity to contribute to the clean energy initiative that is greatly needed in the U.S.

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