- Details
- By Native News Online Staff
WASHINGTON — In addition to articles already covered by Native News Online, here is a roundup of other news released from Washington, D.C. that impacts Indian Country recently.
BIA Adjusts Power Rates for the San Carlos Irrigation Project in Arizona
The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) on Friday announced final electric power rate increases for the San Carlos Irrigation Project-Power Division for the first time in over 16 years. The final electric power rate increases have been published in the Federal Register and will be effective starting January 18, 2023.
“While the BIA does everything possible to prevent increasing costs for consumers, the electric power rate increases are necessary to bring the cost of operations to current standards, which has not been done in over 16 years,” said Darryl LaCounte, Bureau Director- BIA. “These electric power rate increases now reflect the current cost to operate and supply the power, perform appropriate maintenance, and ensures BIA can continue to provide safe and reliable services into the future.”
Average residential monthly bills will increase by $4.08 or 3.2% per month. Average commercial monthly bills will increase by 15-20% per month. Bill increases will be higher for customers with above average energy consumption and demand.
Additionally, the Power Division will shift from tiered electricity rates where customers who use more electricity pay less per unit, to a flat rate where all energy consumed is evenly priced and reflective of the cost of purchasing power. This move reflects changes in the present market for purchasing power, which is impacted by power supply scarcity and higher fuel prices.
The San Carlos Irrigation Project-Power Division provides electric power service to customers located within the Gila River Indian Reservation, the San Carlos Apache Reservation, and off-reservation communities in Gila, Maricopa, Pima, and Pinal Counties in Arizona. Its service territory stretches across five counties and includes 28 substations, and 1,912 miles of distribution lines.
Advance Appropriations Needed for Indian Healthcare System
The Indian healthcare system, including the Indian Health Service (IHS), Tribal facilities, and urban Indian organizations (UIOs), is the only major federal healthcare provider funded through annual appropriations. Advance appropriations will stabilize IHS funding and allow for long-term planning by insulating Indian healthcare providers from government
shutdowns and continuing resolutions.
On November 30, 2022, Sonya Tetnowski, President of the National Council of Urban Indian Health (NCUIH) and CEO of the Indian Health Center of Clara Valley, Army Veteran, and citizen of the Makah Tribe testified before the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs at a hearing titled “Native American Veterans: Ensuring Access to VA Health Care and Benefits.”
In addition to Ms. Tetnowski, the Committee heard from the Indian Health Service (IHS) Director Roselyn Tso (Navajo), IHS Deputy Director Benjamin Smith (Navajo), Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Deputy to the Deputy Under Secretary for Health Mark Upton, VA Office of Tribal Government Relations Director Stephanie Birdwell (Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma), John Bell from Veterans Benefits Administration, Nickolaus Lewis (Lummi Nation) from the National Indian Health Board, Larry Wright, Jr. (Ponca Tribe of Nebraska) from the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), and Leo Pollock (Blackfeet Nation) from the Blackfeet Veterans Alliance.
Visit NCUIH.org/Advance to contact Congress to honor its promises and enact advance appropriations
Neely Bardwell (descendant of the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians), a Michigan State University student who is a staff reporter for Native News Online, contributed to these briefs.
More Stories Like This
Biden Nominates Salish & Kootenai Tribal Attorney Danna Jackson for Federal BenchA Conversation With Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan: What We Can Celebrate Around the State
Return to the Heart Foundation Gives 44 Micro-Grants to Native Women Leaders
Indigenous Journalists Association President Addresses Members of the UNPFII
Inter-Tribal Council Passes Resolution Urging FCC to Establish Specific Event Code for Missing and Endangered Persons
Native Perspective. Native Voices. Native News.
We launched Native News Online because the mainstream media often overlooks news that is important is Native people. We believe that everyone in Indian Country deserves equal access to news and commentary pertaining to them, their relatives and their communities. That's why the story you’ve just finished was free — and we want to keep it that way, for all readers. We hope you'll consider making a donation to support our efforts so that we can continue publishing more stories that make a difference to Native people, whether they live on or off the reservation. Your donation will help us keep producing quality journalism and elevating Indigenous voices. Any contribution of any amount — big or small — gives us a better, stronger future and allows us to remain a force for change. Donate to Native News Online today and support independent Indigenous-centered journalism. Thank you.
