Here’s a round up of business news from around Indian Country.
Funding
• Five California-based tribes are among the recipients of a $10 million round of grants from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) aimed at reducing neighborhood air pollution. CARB is directing the funding to communities across the state that face “significant challenges with air pollution.” Among the recipients, the Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians plan to develop an air monitoring network to raise awareness of air quality issues stemming from wildfire and other pollution. As well, Blue Lake Rancheria expects to establish a community particulate matter air monitoring network and include educational materials about general air quality, particularly during woodsmoke and wildland fire events. Other tribal grant recipients include the Morongo Band of Mission Indians, the Soboba Band of Luiseno Indians and the Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians. “The Community Air Grants provided by CARB are an important tool to help residents and Tribal communities throughout the state identify and combat the harmful effects of local air pollution — and create a cleaner environment for their families,” CARB Chair Liane Randolph said in a statement.
Real estate
• The Puyallup Tribe of Indians plan to convert the former Tacoma Christian Center church into a funeral home to serve the tribal community following a $5.7 million property transaction, according to a report in the Puget Sound Business Journal. The 1.9-acre property includes about 26,000 square feet of industrial buildings and sits about 2 miles away from the tribe’s Old Puyallup Indian Cemetery. Puyallup Tribal Council Vice Chairwoman Sylvia Miller said in the report that the tribe has needed capacity for a funeral home for years, and noted that funerals have been held in the tribe’s school and youth center. The tribe plans to renovate the facilities in the coming weeks. Previously, the tribe last year acquired more than 2 acres of land in Tacoma that houses The Ram Restaurant & Brewery and the former C.I. Shenanigans restaurant, as Tribal Business News previously reported. Under the sale-leaseback agreement, the owner of The Ram will continue to operate the restaurant on the site. The tribe also inked a development partnership with global e-commerce retailer Amazon.com Inc. to open a 520,000-square-foot sorting center on tribally owned lands in Fife, Wash., a suburb of Tacoma.
Tourism
• The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs plans to reopen the Kah-Nee-Ta Village tourism destination in 2023 following more than $6 million in upgrades and renovations to the shuttered property that the tribe closed in 2018, according to a report in The Oregonian. The tribe is funding the repairs with money it received via the American Rescue Plan Act. It plans to partner with Mt. Hood Skibowl to redevelop and manage the property, according to the report. The resort dates back to the 1960s, and at one time included lodging, a golf course, pools and RV park, but was later closed in a move to protect the tribe from financial exposure from the under-performing asset.
Gaming
• The Isleta Resort and Casino in Albuquerque, N.M., the gaming enterprise of the Pueblo of Isleta tribe, has partnered with New York-based Elys Game Technology Corp. (Nasdaq: ELYS) to offer sports wagering. The Isleta Resort and Casino’s sportsbook, operated by Elys’ US Bookmaking subsidiary, will offer event betting on sports including NFL, NBA, MLB, as well as college football and basketball through self-service kiosks and in-person ticket counters situated throughout the casino, according to a statement. With the deal, Elys now operates sports betting in six U.S. markets.
Federal 8(a) contracting
• Oak Ridge, Tenn.-based ARS Aleut Remediation LLC, an Alaska Native-owned environmental services firm, has received a five-year federal contract to offer radiological sampling services at various U.S. Army sites to ensure compliance with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s licensing requirements, according to a statement. Under the contract, the company will conduct routine sampling, provide data and reports to assist the Army’s compliance with NRC regulations after depleted uranium associated with the use of the Davy Crocket Weapon System was identified at 18 military installations in the U.S. The monitoring aims to ensure the depleted uranium is not migrating off the initial sites. “This contract stems from the work that we have been doing since 2019,” ARS Aleut Remediation General Manager Darrin Lawrence said in a statement. “We are excited to continue to support the Army's mission to protect the public and environment.” the SBA 8(a) certified ARS Aleut Remediation is a wholly owned subsidiary of Aleut Federal LLC, a federal contracting enterprise of The Aleut Corporation, an Alaska Native Regional Corporation formed for the benefit of more than 3,200 Aleut shareholders in southwestern Alaska.
Government
• The California Air Resources Board (CARB) appointment of Jill Sherman-Warne, an enrolled member of the Hoopa Tribe, as the first Native American member of the AB32 Environmental Justice Advisory Committee. Sherman-Warne serves as executive director of the Native American Environmental Protection Coalition (NAEPC) which works with 27 tribes in California, Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico. “We are delighted to now have a voice that represents California’s Native American communities on the Environmental Justice Advisory Committee,” Chanell Fletcher, deputy executive officer for Environmental Justice, said in a statement. “This will help us better understand how our programs and policies can address the concerns of California Tribal residents regarding air quality and public health in their communities.”
