Future of Carbon Policy Forum – Tribal speakers announced

We have become accustomed to beginning meetings with land acknowledgements and we will certainly do that at our Future of Carbon Policy Forum on January 4th.

But as we acknowledge the tribal ancestry of the lands we occupy and the tribal history of caring for our environment, we’ll also learn from tribal leaders about the clean future they are creating for generations to come.

The Climate Commitment Act directs a minimum of 10% of investments to projects supported by Washington Tribes. Join us at the Future of Carbon Policy Forum to hear how tribal entities are leading the charge for renewable energy, forest health and battery storage.

Ray Wiseman is the General Manager of Yakama Power, a tribally-owned utility with an ambitious carbon reduction plan. The Yakama Tribe was awarded $20 million of CCA funds for a Solar Canal project on their reservation. The project will cover irrigation canals with solar panels, creating renewable energy while cooling the water and reducing evaporation. 

The Lewiston Tribune writes,

The Yakama Nation, other tribes, conservation groups and academics are urging the adoption of least conflict siting — a movement that looks to put new energy developments in areas they will cause the least harm to ecosystems, tribal treaty rights and cultural resources. For many, that means looking first at using sites that have already been developed. To that end, the Yakama Nation is looking at the possibility of placing solar panels above irrigation canals that criss cross its reservation.

Wiseman has leveraged this CCA investment to attract over $100 million of additional project resources…and he says this isn’t even the utility’s most impressive project! We look forward to hearing him speak at the Forum.

As the Executive Director of the Colville Tribe, Cody Desautel oversees the largest forest carbon sequestration project in Washington state. 

The Sightline Institute writes,

The Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation are leading the way on climate-smart forestry. The Tribes’ conservation management practices prioritize carbon capture and ecosystem sustainability on nearly half a million acres of forest on their reservation.

Thanks to the Tribes’ stewardship, forests on the Colville reservation hold at least 14 million more tons of carbon dioxide than typical forests of similar size in the area, equivalent to a year of Oregon’s vehicle emissions. In 2017, the Tribes began selling credits for this carbon in California’s cap and trade carbon market, committing to keeping the carbon locked up in their forests for at least 100 years. Today they are the second-largest seller of carbon offsets in California’s market. 

Cody Desautel will speak at the Forum.

Tickets are selling fast, so register today!

Also speaking at the Forum will be:

Andy Vesey, CEO of Fortescue North America, speaking about their investment in the PNW H2Hub.

Grant Ray, VP of Global Market Strategy for Group14, speaking about their investment in battery innovation and construction of its second commercial Battery Active Materials factory (BAM-2), which is expected to be the world’s largest factory for advanced silicon battery technology.

Since the theme of this Forum is the power of public-private partnership to move Washington forward to a clean economy, we’ll also have leaders from Olympia speaking about their priorities for the 2024 legislative session.

Join us to hear from tribes, businesses, and government officials leading the way to a clean future.

And that’s not all… 

Have you ever looked at the Amazon Spheres and said to yourself, “I wonder what it’s like inside?” We will walk next door for an inside-the-Sphere tour, a networking reception, and the presentation of the David & Patricia Giuliani Clean Energy Entrepreneur Award. 

Don’t delay, register today!