WAYLAND, MI – The Gun Lake Tribe has announced details of two separate grants awarded by the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs’ (BIA) Branch of Tribal Climate Resilience (TCR). The grant funding comes from programs created between tribes and the federal government designed to mitigate climate change. The tribe will use these funds to purchase electric fleet vehicles and new EV chargers, to install a solar array, and to plan for reusage of graywater at the tribe’s various facilities.
“We applaud the federal government for collaborating with our tribe to create programs like these to reverse the negative impacts of climate change,” said Tribal Chairman Bob Peters. “I thank our government staff who effectively shared our vision with the BIA to support climate initiatives and water conservation right here in Allegan County.”
One grant awarded is the Gun Lake Tribal Graywater Reuse Plan Project in the amount of $189,844. This project will plan for graywater reuse in an effort to reduce water drawn from the tribe’s aquifer. The tribe will work with experts to develop a plan for water reuse and an outline of the permitting process along with high-level budget estimates and time frames for future implementation.
The other award is for the Gun Lake Tribe Electric Infrastructure Implementation Project, for $4,000,000. This grant includes the purchase of electric vehicles and the necessary chargers to replace existing gas vehicles in the tribe’s fleet, as well as the installation of a solar array to provide renewable energy to the Gun Lake Tribal Government, reducing their consumption of power generated by greenhouse gas emitting coal fired power plants.
The Gun Lake Tribe will implement these programs under a category of federally recognized tribes known as “self-governance.” The tribe achieved this status several years ago, which permits greater autonomy to administer grant-funded programs like the two climate change programs. This allows the tribe to design programs in a way that fits its specific circumstances and goals and objectives. Achieving self-governance status required the tribe to demonstrate it met a set of criteria that included “three prior fiscal years financial stability by having no uncorrected significant and material audit exceptions in the required annual single audit of its self-determination or self-governance agreements.”