Here is a round up of business news from around Indian Country.
Energy
• Twenty-seven federally recognized tribes and seven Alaska Native corporations will share $6.5 million in grants from the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) via the Energy and Mineral Development Program. The tribes and ANCs, which span 15 states, can use the funding to “identify, study, design and/or develop projects using energy, mineral and natural resources,” with the aim of improving self-sufficiency by controlling their own energy production, according to a statement from the BIA.
The largest awardees included:
• Alaska-based Calista Corporation — $721,510 for a port site development to allow rock extraction from a proposed quarry located on Pilcher Mountain in Marshall, Alaska
• Utah-based Ute Indian Tribe — $600,000 for a geologic characterization and engineering analysis of oil and gas potential on the Uintah and Ouray Reservation
• Colorado-based Southern Ute Indian Tribe — $545,000 study and identify practical and viable strategies to implement a methane capture project on the reservation
• Navajo Nation – $475,610 to identify and potentially develop new potential helium-bearing prospects on Navajo lands in Arizona
• California-based Chemehuevi Indian Tribe — $350,000 to analyze a mineral assessment project to determine the potential deposits of minerals, including manganese, on tribal lands
• Alaska-based Ahtna Inc. — $312,000 to determine if a commercial wind farm is feasible in the Willow Mountain Area
• Oklahoma-based Osage Nation — $299,645 to define and evaluate the sand and gravel assets on the Osage Reservation and their market potential
“Having direct access to a reliable energy source is often taken for granted in the United States, but due to their remote locations, it can be a real challenge for American Indian and Alaska Native communities to achieve that standard,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Bryan Newland. “The BIA’s Energy and Mineral Development Program grants seek to close this gap by supporting efforts to develop tribally and Alaska Native corporation-owned energy resources to benefit tribal members and ANC shareholders while contributing to Indian Country’s economic progress.”
Federal 8(a) contracting
• Alaska Native-owned North Wind Site Services LLC, based in Idaho Falls, Idaho, was awarded a five-year, $22 million contract from the Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management for cleanup services at the Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory (KAPL). The Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration Naval Reactors site is located in Niskayuna, N.Y. North Wind Site Services will provide environmental remediation, demolition and removal of legacy facilities, regulatory services and waste management and transportation. The company is a subsidiary of Cook Inlet Region Inc., an Alaska Native regional corporation benefiting more than 9,100 shareholders of Athabascan, Southeast Indian, Iñupiat, Yup’ik, Alutiiq/Sugpiaq and Aleut/Unangax descent.
Gaming
• The Seminole Tribe of Florida’s Hard Rock International and Seminole Gaming donated $250,000 to the Support Surfside Program to provide relief to people affected by the collapse of Champlain Towers South in Surfside, Fla. The tribal ventures will also launch a public fundraising campaign at all restaurant, retail and hotel venues of Hard Rock and Seminole Gaming, according to a statement. Additionally, the companies will match employees’ contributions to the Support Surfside Fund. “This is a terrible tragedy and our hearts go out to the many people affected by it,” Seminole Tribe of Florida Chairman Marcellus Osceola Jr. said in a statement. “The Seminole Tribe pledges to marshal our resources and do everything we can to help.”
• Uncasville, Conn.-based Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment, an enterprise of the Mohegan Tribe, launched the new Mohegan Digital igaming division on June 30, following Connecticut’s passage of a bill to legalize online gaming and sports betting. Mohegan Digital will focus on creating an igaming platform for the Mohegan Sun Connecticut property. MGE appointed Rich Roberts as president and Aviram Alroy as vice president of product to lead the effort. The move comes as igaming and sports betting continue to grow across the country, offering gaming companies a new source of revenue potential. “Over the years, Mohegan has made great technological advancements in the digital space, working with industry-leading partners to provide state-of-the-art advancements to casino and sportsbook online operations. With Mohegan Digital, we are looking to expand and enhance these efforts to elevate the experience and deliver on our promise to provide world-class entertainment for our guests on a digital scale,” MGE President and CEO Ray Pineault said in a statement.
• The Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana has selected London-based International Game Technology PLC (NYSE: IGT) as its sports betting partner at the Coushatta Casino Resort, located in Kinder, La. The tribal casino will leverage IGT’s PlaySports solution. “We’re very excited to be one of the first casinos in Louisiana to secure a sports betting agreement, allowing us to offer our patrons new types of gaming experiences backed by IGT’s reliable sports betting solution,” Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana Chairman Jonathan Cernek said in a statement.
• The San Carlos Apache Tribe partnered with Las Vegas, Nev.-based gaming operator WynnBET to seek an online sports betting license in Arizona. The San Carlos Apache Tribal Gaming Enterprise operates the Apache Gold Casino and Apache Sky Casino. If granted licensure, this will be the 16th state where WynnBET offers or plans to offer its online sports betting app.
Hospitality
• The Seminole Tribe of Florida-owned Hard Rock International has bolstered its international portfolio with the opening of Hard Rock Hotel Madrid, the company’s first metropolitan property in Spain, according to a statement. The 161-room hotel features more than 21,000 square feet of event space, as well as various bars and restaurants, an outdoor swimming pool and a fitness center. “As our first Spanish metropolitan hotel, Hard Rock Hotel Madrid brings a distinctly different personality to our beach resorts. Our guests will discover art, music, history, culinary excellence and culture at their fingertips – all brought together through Hard Rock’s curated and entertainment-infused hospitality,” Dale Hipsh, SVP of hotels at Hard Rock International said in a statement.
Real estate
• The Kalispel Tribe of Indians has purchased the Spokane County Raceway from Spokane County for $6.1 million, according to a report in The Spokesman-Review. The tribe indicated it planned to keep the racetrack operations and grow motorsports opportunities in the region. The tribe previously offered $4.75 million for the property, but raised its bid after the county received an unsolicited counter-offer.
