Pueblo of Acoma – 2017 Project

NOTE: Project pages are being updated regularly to reflect changes, if any; however, some of the information may be dated.

Summary

The Pueblo of Acoma Utility Authority will expand to establish an energy utility department in addition to its existing departments of water and wastewater, solid waste, and public works. Its long-term mission is to provide safe and reliable utility services to the community at an affordable cost, while promoting conservation and efficiency. Specifically, this project will develop a transparent structure, rules, and regulations for the energy utility; build human capacity by training and hiring utility managers and staff; and develop a five-year plan for the energy utility and an operations and maintenance plan that includes potential capital expenses.

The Pueblo of Acoma (Acoma) is a federally recognized Native American tribe located in Cibola County, New Mexico. One of 19 Pueblo Indian nations in New Mexico, the Acoma Tribe has 6,344 enrolled members who live both on the Reservation and outside of it. The Acoma Tribe has continuously occupied this area for more than 800 years, making this one of the oldest continuously inhabited communities in the country.

The Pueblo of Acoma Utility Authority (PAUA) is a tribally chartered organization formed in 2013. Its mission statement is currently focused on water, wastewater, and waste, and emphasizes a desire to provide safe and reliable utilities services to its community at an affordable cost, while promoting conservation and efficiency. Acoma desires to expand PAUA to include energy and to provide cleaner energy to its members.

Over the past years, Acoma has demonstrated a keen interest in researching opportunities for tribal energy development and enhancing its tribal energy infrastructure related to natural resource development. A number of energy-related studies have pointed to an opportunity for Acoma to establish its own tribal energy utility authority to increase its energy independence and promote tribal energy development and self-generation. This project will support Acoma’s long-term goal to increase control of its energy resources and provide energy from cleaner sources to its members at an affordable cost.

The objective of this project is to enhance and further expand the PAUA organization to establish and develop a self-sustaining tribal energy utility. Project activities will result in clearly defined energy utility goals, governing documents, and plans to support the successful implementation of the energy utility. It will also develop PAUA’s management and staff who will oversee the energy utility and ensure that its mission is met.

By establishing an energy utility, PAUA desires to achieve the following objectives:

1. Move to a cleaner energy supply, and thereby reduce environmental impact of the Tribe’s energy consumption
2. Reduce and stabilize energy costs
3. Implement one of the key objectives identified in its 2014 Strategic Energy Plan
4. Boost economic development on the Pueblo of Acoma Reservation by creating local jobs and attracting new businesses
5. Increase control over its energy resources and infrastructure, and build knowledge and skills needed to implement energy solutions.

Acoma currently has no control over energy rates or the sources of its generation. Acoma and PAUA desire to manage their own energy utility to make decisions for the long-term good of the Tribe and its people.

In the long-term, operating a self-sustaining energy utility within the existing PAUA organization enables Acoma to benefit from all energy resources and energy solutions that are locally available. This project is expected to reduce and stabilize energy costs on the Reservation and to promote tribal energy development and efficiency.  This project will position PAUA to successfully operate its energy utility following a three-phased process: 1) Develop structure, 2) Develop people, and 3) Develop operations.

Phase One seeks to expand and amend the existing PAUA organizational structure to include the energy utility department. Key activities include expanding and communicating PAUA organizational structure and regulations.

Phase Two seeks to develop PAUA’s human resources through training and stakeholder engagement. Key activities include identifying PAUA staffing and hiring needs and training PAUA management and staff.

Phase Three seeks to develop an operations strategy for PAUA’s newly established energy department(s). Key activities include developing a Five-Year Plan and an Operations and & Maintenance Plan.

The Pueblo of Acoma is located in Cibola County, about 60 miles west of Albuquerque, New Mexico. The Acoma Reservation spans across about 600 square miles of land located on a large mesa and comprises three villages: Sky City (also known as Old Acoma), Acomita, and McCartys.

The project was competitively selected under the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Indian Energy Fiscal Year 2016 funding opportunity announcement “First Steps Toward Developing Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency on Tribal Lands – 2016” (DE-FOA-0001621) and started in September 2017.

The November 2017 and December 2018 project status report provides more information.