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Hopi explore options at 2005 Energy Fair

CRSP Energy Services Manager Paula Fronk and Contracts team lead Burt Hawkes staffed the Western Exhibit at the Hopi Energy Fair. The CRSP Management Center co-sponsored the first-time event. (Photo by CRSP Management Center)

Energy issues are giving the Hopi Tribe a lot to think about these days, so the new Western customer invited the players—power providers, renewable energy companies, other tribes with energy concerns—to share expertise, technology and ideas at a day-long educational event that was the first of its kind on the reservation.

The Energy Fair, held on March 22 in Keams Canyon, Ariz., was a joint production of the tribe and the EPA Clean Air Partnership Project. “About 150 people attended,” said Hopi Public Relations Officer Vanessa Charles. “That included tribal members, students and exhibitors. People traveled great distances to learn about the issues and come up with solutions.”

Fair draws diverse crowd
Western’s CRSP Management Center was a co-sponsor of the Energy Fair, and an exhibitor. Arizona Public Service Company, Salt River Project, Peabody Coal and Dine Power Authority were among the power companies exhibiting at the event. Wind Powering America, Foresight Energy and Sacred Power Corp. represented the renewable energy industry. Members of the Southern Ute Growth Fund, the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority and Yavapai Apache Nation were on hand to discuss the benefits and challenges of tribal-owned energy ventures.

“The purpose of the fair was to provide the Hopi with information and education on energy topics that impact the tribe,” said Energy Services Manager Paula Fronk. “That’s a very broad category, and the fair did a great job of covering the bases in its first year.”

Attendees found exhibits very informative, said Charles. “Western’s exhibit was especially interesting,” she added. “There were three or four tables, and [Energy Services Manager] Ron Horstman brought a plethora of tools.”

The elaborate display included a wind anemometer, infrared camera, hydrogen fuel cell and small wind generator from the Equipment Loan Program. “The Tribe is already using renewables such as solar,” noted Fronk. “They were very interested in supplementing with wind.”

CRSP Administrative Officer David Bennion brought along information on Western as a career opportunity with the Federal government. “Western was one of the only exhibitors to talk about job creation,” noted Charles.

Panels focus on critical issues
Employment and energy concerns intersected at one of two panels at the Energy Fair. Peabody Coal hosted a discussion on the possible closure of the Mohave Generating Station in Laughlin, Nev., for failing to meet emission standards. That would force the coal company’s Black Mesa mine, Mohave’s supplier and one of the few employers on the reservation, to lay off workers. Peabody also pays the tribe more than $7 million a year for the volume of coal mined from the operation.

The panel, comprising tribal council members and Peabody representatives, took questions from the audience about the effect closure could have on the Hopi. “A lot of people would lose jobs, and the tribe would lose income, so naturally, people want to know what is happening with the process,” said Charles.

All involved parties are working together to keep the generating station open, she noted. “The coal and water agreements are really close to being resolved.”

Transmission reliability, a concern that ranks as high for the Hopi as the fate of the Mohave station, was the topic of the second panel. The Arizona Corporation Commission listened as tribe members offered documented cases of frequent power outages and the long time before power was restored.

Representatives from the tribal Office of Elderly Services, Department of Administration and Technical Services, Health Center, radio station KUYI and local Bureau of Land Management described how unreliable electric service affects their operations. “Outages cause thousands of dollars of damage to critical equipment that the programs have no way to recoup,” explained Charles.

She commended the ACC for participating in the Energy Fair. “It speaks volumes for their willingness to work with residents,” she said. “Hearing from the people helped the commissioners understand how remote we are, how dire the need for reliable service is, and that the need doesn’t stop at the reservation border.”

Future partnerships likely
With the success of the Energy Fair under its belt, the Hopi tribe is now looking at the next steps toward energy self-sustainability. The fair introduced new ideas and helped to clarify some of the options, said Charles. “We need to compile what we’ve learned and compare notes with other tribes in the energy business and industry entities. Then we can form a plan based on positive models.”

Setting up a Hopi-owned and controlled utility will remain a priority, as will finding ventures that could create jobs and income for the tribe. Although none of the tribes attending the Energy Fair are involved in renewable energy at this time, the Hopi are open to the possibility. “I can definitely see participants in the fair coming back to make presentations to the Tribal Council,” said Charles. “The fair laid the groundwork for partnership projects.”

That was true not only for the tribe, but for the exhibitors as well. “We got a lot of feedback that it was a great networking opportunity for the exhibitors,” she said. “That was an unexpected benefit.”

With positive responses from participants across the board, the first Energy Fair won’t be the last. “It could become a biennial or even annual event,” said Charles. “We saw a great commitment to helping the Hopi build a sustainable economy and infrastructure. The Energy Fair gave residents ideas about how to reach that goal.”