Electric utilities can be a severe hindrance for many tribes when it comes to economic development. Native American customers often pay high prices, and get too little in return, says John Lewis, chairman of the Gila River Indian Community Utility Authority (GRICUA). "Electricity is such an integral part of life for many tribes and it is such a huge underlying factor in the economic growth and development of the community. Many tribes and their casinos are often the largest commercial customers of many rural co-ops and utilities but get terrible customer service and reliability. "

The Gila River Indian Community is a model for how tribes can turn that around. GRICUA was formed in the late 1990s to serve the community's Wild Horse Pass Casino, but now purchases wholesale power from various generating sources and delivers it to about 2,700 customers.

GRICUA is an example of how the traditional agrarian Gila River Indian Community has diversified economically. While it has a standalone casino and two casino/resorts, it also has three industrial developments, a resort/spa, a large upscale shopping center, and a motorsports park. Lewis is also on the board of Gila River Telecommunications, which expects to have fiber broadband service to every community member household within the next three years.

Decisions made 20 to 30 years ago are paying off now, he says. For example, Gila River's previous tribal leaders had the foresight to buy wireless spectrum when it first became available, which ultimately matured into a 25/75 partnership with Verizon Wireless. Gila River's 25% stake has become a valuable resource and source of revenue for the community. "A lot of economic development in Gila River has been facilitated by us controlling our own utility situation. We are by far the most advanced tribe in terms of fiber and broadband," says Lewis, whose brother, Stephen, is governor of the Gila River Community. Only a few tribes have a telecom corporate entity, Lewis says. "The information broadband gap in Indian Country is astounding." The Lewis brothers grew up in Sacaton, Arizona, the center of government for the nation. Their mother was a tribal court judge and their father was general counsel for the tribe. He was the first Native American to go to the U.S. Supreme Court and win a case on his tribe's behalf.

Both parents emphasized education. Stephen went to Arizona State University and pursued graduate studies at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government. John studied civil and environmental engineering at Stanford University and then worked for a wastewater engineering firm in the San Francisco Bay Area. He was recruited by a Stanford alumnus, Tracey A. LeBeau, to join an energy consulting firm in Phoenix, which is close to the tribe's reservation. LeBeau is now with the Department of Energy.Lewis became chairman of GRICUA in 2010, but has had roles with other companies, too.

HELPING OTHER TRIBES

In 2011 and 2012, he was a vice president at Generation Seven Tribal Energy Partners, which helped tribes with energy strategies. In 2012, he became VP of tribal client development at Avant Energy, which is based in Minneapolis. Avant works with tribes and municipalities who want to form utilities. It also provides advice on energy operations and strategies for mapping energy sources and how the energy is used. Some tribes are developing power plants and generating resources, says Lewis, who helps tribes negotiate with utilities. Like GRICUA, some tribes operate the utility infrastructure on their lands, purchase power wholesale and then deliver it to retail customers.

"I think that my work with tribes throughout Indian Country is rewarding, mostly because utility infrastructure directly interacts with the day-to-day life of tribal communities on such an intimate level - good and bad," Lewis says. "I strongly feel that my work with Avant is so important because we have committed resources to making a change in Indian Country and to helping tribes take over those very important decisions related to energy and utility infrastructure."

Even though tribes are sovereign, they face the reality that different states have varying degrees of energy deregulation. California and many of the New England states are deregulated, but other states are not, Lewis says.In 2013 Lewis began speaking to tribal leaders about climate change and how actions could start with tribal-owned facilities, such as resorts, golf courses, and casinos. While the Trump administration is not participating in the Paris Climate Accord, "I strongly think there is an opportunity for tribes to interact directly with the United Nations and adopt the goals of the Paris Accord,'' Lewis says.

For many tribes, energy efforts will move towards distributed generation resources with community-level grid-connected power generation and storage. Natural resources could be important for some tribes, too, Lewis says. "If they want to develop coal and natural gas, I think that's their right."Lewis credits Gila River's leadership with taking a business-like approach to its utilities. For example, it has a policy that helps customers avoid disconnection during extreme heat and cold, but requires a payment plan. Lewis continues to take a forward-looking view at the Gila River authority. Like many business leaders, he is looking at the future workforce.

While a major national trend is to emphasize STEM education-science, technology, engineering, and math, the authority has come up with STEA3M, which adds art, agriculture, and architecture. The STEA3M summer program was for enrolled community members, entering the fifth to eighth grade, and included field trips. The young tribal members could end up working for GRICUA, at a $7 billion Intel plant near the reservation or learn skills to participate in the extensive agriculture operations at Gila River, which includes big cotton and alfalfa farms.

The brothers' father worked 30 years to get a major water settlement for the tribe, and they feel want to build on the success of such tribal giants.The goal is not to stagnate, but to increase the quality of life, Lewis says. "It's really about bridging the past to the future while respecting our cultural values."

Avant Energy: www.avantenergy.com