Energize Wind River is working to bring stand-alone solar power systems to roughly 40 Eastern Shoshone homes on the Wind River Reservation. But with $2 million in federal construction funding currently on hold, the team is searching for other ways to make the project a reality on the ground.
With assistance from the Wyoming Energy Co-op, the Eastern Shoshone Housing Authority (ESHA) received a nearly $8 million grant from the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ Tribal Electrification Program last fall. ESHA then launched the Energize Wind River project with support from the co-op. Construction was slated to start this spring.
But according to Energize Wind River Director Levi Purdum, about a quarter of that funding is now on pause as a result of switch in presidential administration. That pause comes alongside the Trump administration’s efforts to downsize the federal government and reprioritize…
