Provide funding under the inflation reduction act (IRA) to the pueblo of sandia

This federal Cooperative Agreement award, provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Climate Pollution Reduction Grants (CFDA 66.046) program, will fund the Pueblo of Sandia to implement greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction projects identified in their Priority Climate Action Plan. The $1,912,238 award, effective January 15, 2025 through January 15, 2030, will support two main projects: 1) Installation of a 356 kW solar photovoltaic system on the Sandia Resort and Casino parking garage, which is expected to reduce emissions by 1,125 MT CO2e from 2025-2030 and 4,129 MT CO2e from 2025-2050; and 2) Installation of 16 electric vehicle charging stations across the Pueblo's facilities, which is expected to reduce emissions by 944 MT CO2e from 2025-2030 and 4,721 MT CO2e from 2025-2050. These projects aim to achieve significant GHG reductions, deliver substantial community benefits, and serve as replicable models for other tribal governments and jurisdictions.

Description

The purpose of this award is to provide funding under the inflation reduction act (IRA) to the pueblo of sandia. The recipient will implement greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction programs, policies, projects, and measures identified in their priority climate action plan (PCAP) developed under a climate pollution reduction grants (CPRG) planning grant. Activities conducted through this grant will benefit all residents living on the pueblo of sandia reservation and within the bernalillo and sandoval counties, and visitors to the pueblo of sandia casino and resort located in albuquerque, new mexico through four main objectives: implementation of ambitious measures that will achieve significant cumulative GHG reductions by 2030 and beyond; pursuit of measures that will achieve substantial community benefits, particularly in low-income and disadvantaged communities; complementing other funding sources to maximize these GHG reductions and community benefits; and, pursuit of innovative policies and programs that are replicable and can be 'scaled up' across multiple jurisdictions. To achieve these objectives, the climate pollution reduction grant includes two major projects - the solar photovoltaic project (PV system) and the electric vehicle supply charging stations project. Each project was selected for its ability to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The proposed solar PV system will effectively mitigate greenhouse gas emissions by directly reducing the grid consumption of one the largest consumers of power in the state of new mexico - the sandia resort and casino. While this initial investment in solar infrastructure will only be able to offset a portion of the sandia resort and casino's power needs, this project will help demonstrate the efficacy of solar energy in aiding the pueblo of sandia's larger environmental goals. Additionally, this solar project will help to demonstrate the financial viability of further investment in solar energy projects to power the pueblo's commercial enterprises, which will be an important part of securing buy-in from tribal leadership and casino management when looking to scale up renewable energy projects. The project also is replicable in that the success of such a project will be a model for other tribal casinos, which are often the largest single sources of energy consumption on tribal lands. Investments in the electric vehicle( EV) charging stations will help encourage the ongoing nationwide transition in the transportation sector towards electric vehicles. For such a transition to be possible, the appropriate charging infrastructure must be in place. The pueblo of sandia is looking to do its part in developing this infrastructure by installing level 2 and 3 charging stations at the casino and resort and other pueblo facilities. As demand for EV charging increases with EV usage, the pueblo will scale up the installation of charging stations as necessary. Additionally, the pueblo will maintain communication with the community regarding what federal, state, and local incentive programs residents can leverage by transitioning to electric vehicles. The 356-KW system will directly result in emissions reductions of 1125 MT CO2E (carbon dioxide equivalent) in the period of 2025-2030, and 4129 MT CO2E in the period of 2025 to 2050. The installation of sixteen electric vehicle (EV) charging points throughout the reservation will directly result in emissions reductions of 944 MT CO2E and 4721 MT CO2E in the periods of 2025-2030 and 2025 - 2050, respectively. Activities:the activities to be conducted include: - installation of a commercial scale 356 kilowatts (KW) photovoltaic system (PV system) on top of the sandia resort and casino parking garage producing 557-megawatt hour (MWH) per year. The solar panels' stored energy will be used as a significant first effort to offset the energy consumption and associated greenhouse gas emissio