Bois Forte Band to Receive $300,000 in State Funds for Renewable Energy Project

Market Wire, May, 2007

The Bois Forte Band of Chippewa will receive $300,000 in state funds for a feasibility study of a renewable energy demonstration facility on its reservation. The funds are part of the $170 million Agriculture and Veterans Omnibus Bill signed Friday by Governor Tim Pawlenty.

"This project could improve energy self-sufficiency throughout northeastern Minnesota by converting locally available resources -- such as logging residue, forest trimmings, and sawmill waste -- into biofuels like ethanol and bio-butanol," said Band Chairman Kevin Leecy. "That would lessen our dependence on foreign petroleum, and it would also help the environment by reducing harmful carbon emissions."

Leecy said other key benefits of the project could include the creation of new jobs and the strengthening of the Band's and the region's economies.

In addition to determining the feasibility and appropriateness of a demonstration facility, the study will identify environmental permitting requirements and the optimal size, configuration and location of a facility. Funds for the project are slated to come from a variety of sources. Besides the $300,000 Next Generation Energy Grant funded in the omnibus bill, the Band has also received a $25,000 grant from the Iron Ranges Resources agency, and it has applied for a federal Department of Energy grant.

"We believe this project will strengthen partnerships among the Band, the state, the federal government, and local counties and towns -- partnerships that are often a catalyst for economic growth," said Andrew Datko, CEO of the Bois Forte Development Corporation. "We appreciate the efforts by our community's state legislators to help us secure the funds needed to determine how the entire Arrowhead Region can benefit from a renewable energy initiative."

About the Bois Forte Band

The Bois Forte Band of Chippewa is a sovereign, federally recognized Indian tribe located in northeastern Minnesota. The Band provides a wide variety of programs and services to its approximately 3,000 enrolled members.

EDITOR'S NOTE: A downloadable sound bite from Kevin Leecy, tribal chairman of the Bois Forte Band of Chippewa, and Andy Datko, CEO of the band's development corporation, is available at http://www.providentpartners.net/html/boisforte

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CONTACT: Andy Datko (218) 753-6400 ext 7712 adatko@fortunebay.com