So we can’t continue to live like this and we do have the tools and toolbox per se to do this kind of work in a sovereign way. It’s just exercising and finding partners to help us to come to a place where we can really build something solid and institutional public power authority that breaks the mold. There’s no reason we should be dependent on anyone else’s energy, particularly with the wind that we have and what we learned from the first go around with developers, the RFP was that, and I say this to everyone that asks about the question I said, you wouldn’t go to Saudi Arabia, put up drills and say, Hey, I’m going to give you a great land lease deal on all that oil we’re going to pull out. We’re the Saudi Arabia of wind. Why do you think that we would want less? So in that instance really drove home the motivation to move forward and I’m happy that us as a Tribe and folks on council had looked at this in a real comprehensive way as a strategy.

Now as IRA rolls out, there’s an ability to have a direct loan for tribes now in place of ITC or PTC funds those tribes could not play into previously because we couldn’t get tax benefits. So in this place it creates much more value for us to increase our ownership stake by using government funds and low interest loan to buy into our own project to a greater degree. That means 20 to 25 years of real revenue coming into us so that we could rebuild our infrastructure, our schools, housing, home mortgages, provide financial institutions for our people to invest in the entrepreneurship, have entrepreneurship built into our educational system K through 12, and then afterwards into college so that we can rebuild our workforce and then start other industries here at Standing Rock that make sense.

Hemp is something that I look at and say there is a market for the future. We can make paper out of that or cardboard out of that. That’s an industry that’s long lasting can provide jobs for generations. And water and hydrogen, we just sit on the Rosa River here. There’s a lot of opportunity there for renewable agriculture growth and then for we always say the buffalo has always been our lifeblood and still is, but to put some money in reinvesting into that to create larger herds so that we can take care of our people and to also revitalize our culture through interpretive center, cultural museum that provides an ability for us to tell our own story, to tell our own history and repatriate our items that have been out in Smithsonian and Harvard and other places that have taken basically from us so that we can get these things back and tell our own history through our own voices. Not a western lens, but a Lakota lens in our own homelands to talk about our relationship with the earth and that spiritual connection that we have as people, more ancestors to our children yet to come.

There’s a connection and a story to be told there, not just for us, but I think for most of the world. We’re all indigenous to a place around the world — where you come from John, your ancestors come from across the sea over in Europe somewhere. There’s a connection spiritually to you to those lands mean something. So we all have a connection to the earth and we all need to seek that commonality so we can understand and live together generations to come. So for me it’s multifaceted to how this can be beneficial far beyond what we’re doing by simply putting up a wind farm.

And so I think really what this is ushering in is a more community centered paradigm of development and ownership where it’s not to say that developers aren’t also going to get paid for their work. It’s not to say that investors are not going to get paid back for investing in the project, it’s just saying that you’re not going to do so to extract from in this case the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. In other cases, as this type of model could be replicated in other places, another nation or another frontline community, it’s saying that actually we can do this in a way that creates shared prosperity, that creates real ownership for the nation and that frontline community that the developers and investors are partnering with. And we can do so in a way that doesn’t mean that anyone is excluded any further from the shared prosperity that can come through.

So we had to move it and it proved out to be a good thing because just this spring when the long year bat study came through, they were flying all through that area anyway, so one way or another those turbines were going to get off the hill and those were 26 turbines that we had to move and I said, well that’s fine. We can be like water, just find the next available place to move to. And aquatic studies and features became an issue in that space. So we moved again. We’ve done significant shifting of the project as we’re going through these phases over the last few years. Our ability to look at more tribal land is one of the benefits that we have.

There are a couple of different types of tribal land which are in trust. One is land that’s owned by the Tribe and other is land that’s owned by tribal members. And then there’s the third kind which is actually there’s two other kinds land that’s simple fee status, which is around the country, people own, it’s private property. And then the government also owns or the state owns land that it can either hold in trust or fee status. So those are the three major types that we deal with tribal allotted and then fee land. And so we shifted and we moved looking at tribal land first allotted land thereafter and then fee land because back in 1887 – before 1887, we had all of the land, but the Dawes act in 1887 said that we’re going to the federal government to break up tribal lands by partitioning into them into individual parts. Checker boarding the land gave us a real difficult way to go after that so we couldn’t have a large land base bases we had previously to aggregate resources on.

So that’s where the fee land comes into play and we just go by the regular practices that a developer does in the fee land places and then we had to create with the Bureau of Indian Affairs wind energy evaluation leases to do met towers and then wind solar resource leases that would act as land option leases and fee simple for tribal lands and allotted lands. So we had to create those documents in that space to help the Bureau of Indian Affairs and DOI facilitate leasing of those lands moving forward and those things that they existed for solar down south, but they didn’t exist for wind up north. As far as Bureau of Indian Affairs goes, and I say BIA because that’s the agency that regulates our lands within our borders. We’re still in trust. We still have to report to an agency that could say yes or no. That’s some of the tough stuff that we’ve always had to deal with since colonization. And this is again going back to us being sovereign and expressing that ability to do so. We have to play the game and do it well.

One of the important things that I like to say about this project is that we don’t want to be a unique unicorn even though we are using the spear of that unicorn to push through places where it hasn’t gone before, but we are just a simple boring project that is one, investible, safe and it’s got great wind capacity just like any other project does. And our interconnection queue study is moving right on along. We’re more than halfway through, so it’s proving itself over and over again for the last few years. And I think when I hear from other developers that have been in this space for certain projects for 10 years, we’re four years in roughly three to four years in of activity and we’re talking to developers in about being a partner instead of just buying the project out. And it’s resonating because they see a way forward not just with this as a new thing, a partnership, but with other tribal nations where there hasn’t been development because everything’s been built around tribes, all the transmission. And now we’re looking at where do we get more energy from tribes.

Then these laws that we created serve multiple layers of regulatory authority for us to exist and govern ourselves. So this creating these institutions that has been critical for us to move into this space and we’re willing to work with anybody else about what we’ve done, how we’ve done it, because it’s not something that we’re trying to sell. This is a gift and more frontline communities need to be moving into this space so that we can change the outlook and at least what we expect from energy systems that are developer centric, business centric, profit driven, back, getting to a place where communities are standing first in that space instead of investors.

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So that’s philanthropy and they’ve been greatly helpful in us being able to hire the best in class partners in that space. We brought on UL, which used to be AWS Truepower out of Boston, which does a lot of wind energy design, power plant design in the Dakotas and around the country. We had other great consultant that came from GE and Tennessee Valley. We were able to bring in best of class. So when we were able to say that these are our folks that we have working with us, people understood, oh great, then we know what you’re talking about is true. So other foundations are able to come on and say, okay, we can see these other foundations that started working with us and we want to be helpful as well. We’re able to bring in with Christina and working with Justice Capital and then also other partners that we have with Baker Tilly to continue to write foundational grants and then also federal grants.

Christina’s work with Justice Capital has a mix between the two foundational philanthropic partners and federal partners and then our folks at Baker Tilly have brought a lot of grants that work, a lot of tribes in that space to help us achieve federal grants. Like we got the tribal economic development capacity building grant, energy capacity building grant, which is like $475,000 to help us put into pre-development capacity building for SAGE. It’s just been a great relationship as we look at that space, but it’s never an easy thing because we’re still putting money into the project, into us working on our pre-development part of this.

And then also the need for us to be in the space as far as interconnection is a developer-centric thing itself, category itself. Developers that have large balance sheets could absorb a doubling in price of studies where we had to be responsive in 15 days of developer could said, I’ll just put a chunk of change down there and that’ll hold my spot in queue. We did all the pre-development work outside of that land control, environmental studies, et cetera, with cash. But it’s been working with those foundational philanthropic partners to be able to be that flexible to do that. And that’s not an easy thing and that’s where working with folks that understand that space and have relationship therein has been a great benefit for us to help us move stage by stage. And I think Christina can pick up the ball on that.

And then ultimately as we move in construction finance, we’ll need more market rate returns. But I think the way that this is structured, which is totally different, is that rather than thinking about some low cost debt or some grants to cap off a project, it’s saying, what if we right size the grants and the catalytic capital to the earliest stages of this, what will become a cash producing asset, to be able to ensure that SAGE and the Tribe maintain ownership and governance over the project to ensure their values can be infused through the project in perpetuity. So I think that the engagement with investors is really, really key and just can’t emphasize enough that this is built off of the no DAPL movement. I mean, there’s just, people know Standing Rock because of the movement that was led by young people on the front lines. And rather than there just being a philanthropic thread to pull for those folks that want to support what happens in the wake of no DAPL, it’s actually saying don’t just open up 5% of your portfolio, open up a hundred percent, because there’s a place for every different type of capital, every different source of capital has a place to be able to finance and support SAGE’s work and specifically with Anpetu Wi as one of those many projects in Sage’s ecosystem. And so I think in many ways it turns upside down the traditional capital structuring model, et cetera, to ensure once again that it’s aligned with the vision and values of SAGE and of Standing Rock and of the Lakota people.

So as we dug down into this discussion, we talked to other attorneys who work in the space with SPP and MISO, in the area, they’re able to be able to have us have conversations with some other folks to discuss our ability to be in this space and be flexible in this space without harm to others. There’s a lot involved in all of these discussions, but for us to take this circumstance to foundations and or grant makers or impact investors that were working or looking at our project, it was kind of vital for us to say, hey, community hasn’t existed part in this part ever. I think that we’re the only commercial community project in this space at this magnitude of 235 megawatts. So for us to be reflexive and responsive in that took a lot of running, really, really did.

But we have a solid project. It always goes back to the simple bones of this. We have roughly 45 to 50% wind capacity in the area that we’re looking at doing, and our studies show us being in that space. And so that’s why we moved two out into a say newer area just adjacent to it so that we can increase that capacity a little bit because it just means more back to us so that we can utilize for community growth. But back to interconnection, it’s no joke from the larger cadre of folks and developers who operate in this space of interconnecting large power onto 345 kvs.

Also, how that tariff affects distribution on a local basis for smaller DERs to exist in community, all come through state regulated or translated commissions and bodies that vary state by state. So you don’t know what you’re going to get state by state and limit the ability to produce for your community. So on North Dakota side for Standing Rock, you can build a solar system that is roughly 10 kilowatt hours per house, and then after that it goes to the per rate, which is the avoided cost of power, the cost of coal, which is like 2 cents, and you can’t finance a project on that. So as we look at the system from top to bottom, it’s not built for communities to participate in. And as we look at more communities getting involved in this space, this is really the cutting edge of this and how do we get our voice heard to the legislatures and to the FERC in general to start looking at how they’re issuing a tariff and how states are translating that tariff to protect particularly communities coming up into this.

So if they’re putting money out saying, yeah, we’re going to do all this solar, you can do everything you want to. It feels like the biggest bonfire. It’s not a gaslight, it’s a gas bonfire, and they’re not just gaslighting us with this thing. It’s like, how do you get it done? And I think that that’s kind of the challenge that more I talk to people in the industry that are understanding what we’re doing. They’re like, how do you get it done? And we don’t have a magic pill to it. We’re just talk with folks all through throughout the value chain there, all throughout the regulatory chain about the uniqueness of our project and what it means to our people, and that resonates no matter where you go.

I think the other thing for those that are working with foundations or family offices or who are trying to deploy their capital in a way that is in alignment with what is sustainable, right, and good in the earth, but also what also is going to be the leadership of this just transition, which is indigenous communities all over the world, I think really looking at how are you assessing what risk looks like in this moment? So we’ve had conversations with some foundations, some investors that are like, well, it’s too risky at this stage. Well, the risk of inaction has to be calculated at this point when we’re also talking about climate change. The risk of inaction, the risk of this not going through is huge. And so I think that as we’re thinking about with foundations and other investors, what does it look like to be supporting frontline community led solutions? It means that you have to ensure that the grant dollars for them to have the technical assistance and support that they need to be successful is there and is right sized to the appropriate stage of development.

And then it’s also that we have to look at the full breadth of capital. We have to look at the full spectrum of capital and put it all to use towards the same vision and values that SAGE has outlined and that SAGE is a steward of because SAGE has been, SAGE has been, I won’t say appointed, but it is the trusted steward for these projects by the Lakota people and by Standing Rock. And so how do we as investors, how do we as foundations fall in line with that trust and how do we get skin in the game to actually own some of that risk so that the risk is not solely born once again by frontline indigenous communities as it has been in perpetuity, during colonization? So yeah, those are the two things that I would say are really game changers in terms of next steps. And then also just learn with us, rock with us every step of the way. SAGE is blazing trails. There’s a lot of awesome things about that. There’s a lot of challenging things about that. But one thing that comes from that is that we’re always learning. We’re always getting better, and we welcome partnership to get us there. So it’s an honor to walk with Joe and with SAGE and with the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and the Lakota Nation, and glad to have others walk with us in a good way so that we can see more of these projects grow all over Turtle Island.

What they told us in the beginning, John, was that, okay, after 20 years, these turbines are yours. That’s great. Boy, we’re going to have how many years of revenue that’s all ours after that? Maybe five. Oh, that’s not so great. And then, then we have to make sure that we have enough money to tear these things down or refit them. So the cost benefit wasn’t really there because all the money would’ve been gone to refit the turbines. So you’re playing a long distance time game of duration, game of poker there and hoping for the best. But if there’s a pool of funds out there that can help communities do this upfront, then you know what your value is upfront. If that’s a loan, that’s even better because then those communities can own that asset and use it as their chips to start off in this game with like we did.

So everything that we’re doing, we’re happily willing to hand it over, help with other folks, and this is all around relationships as well. So folks that we’ve talked to, happily introduced them to folks that we talk to so that more people can do the same thing because we need this to be normalized. It needs to be normal that a developer isn’t the only one that can do this, and then the two developers out there, communities where it’s going to be moving forward, everything else is used up. What else is there? There’s congestions, there’s all of this out there, and tribal lands are, at least within this country and in this continent, one of the last places, best places to develop renewable energy assets from who else to partner with and think about it and being partners because it’s not just your investors. How much money do you need to make? My God, it’s just kind of awesome when you think about all the amount of money that’s going out there, what people are bringing, geez, our kids are going to inherit this and hopefully learn along the way that we got to do this together. That’s my whole thing about being good partners and finding good partners. When we started having a developer discussion, it was really about that partnership and it weaned away pretty quickly a lot of those developers who were interested in being partners all with the community.