OKMULGEE – An Oklahoma Power Up Symposium at Oklahoma State University- Institute of Technology in Okmulgee highlighted the tribal energy workforce. The Nov. 5 event was organized by 7Skyline, an energy development consulting firm. The symposium focused on tribal renewable energy development and workforce development for renewable energy within tribal enterprises. The event provided helpful information for tribal communities through resources, knowledge, and connection for tribal communities. 

“We strongly believe that this event will serve as a catalyst for strengthening Tribal energy sovereignty and expanding opportunities for renewable energy across Oklahoma Tribal Nations,” said 7Skyline Tax and Project Manager Sheiyenne Seegmiller (Navajo).

The event featured MCN speakers and tribal leaders, and many tribal workforce energy teams: including MCN Second Chief Del Beaver, MCN Secretary of the Nation Zechariah Harjo, Caddo Nation Chairman Bobby Gonzalez, and Portland State Dean of Engineering Dr. Joseph Bull (Delaware Tribe of Indians).

OSU-IT Tribal Outreach and Workforce Program Specialist Brandon Dinsmore (Cherokee) worked with 7Skyline to organize the event at OSU-IT. “The people that are helping us with this are 7Skyline, they’re a renewable energy consultant. They’ve done some of these elsewhere in the country,” shared Dinsmore. 

Dinsmore pointed out that all the participants have a passion about environmental stewardship, of taking care of the land, and climate change. That passion is what initially brought everyone together through natural conversations, which eventually led to the symposium.  

“The idea is that we provide as much information as possible for tribes that might be considering renewable energy or that might have some questions and don’t know what to ask, but it’s also a great change for us to showcase what the tribes are doing, not just in Oklahoma but across the country.”

Representatives from the Red Cloud Renewable Energy Center in Oglala South Dakota attended the symposium and spoke about their program- that really excited Dinsmore.“I think that it serves as a really great example of workforce development done right. So I’m hopeful that we gathered enough people from all over to make it crystal clear that this is a big thing, this is really happening and the tribes at least in my opinion are leading the way,” Dinsmore said.

Red Cloud Renewable Energy is a nonprofit organization formed in 2017 that provides education in solar installation, sustainable building practices, and weatherization techniques. However, the program started previously when the Chief Henry Red Cloud administration built solar air furnaces to help Lakota family communities to stay warm. Throughout the community, especially for the elders, expensive heating bills meant families had to choose either to stay warm or put food on the table.

“These solar furnaces were a way to honor our traditional responsibility: to look out for one another and protect the generations. Because this work isn’t just about energy. It’s about sovereignty. It’s about healing. And it’s about coming back to our original instructions: to take care of one another, to live in balance, and to make a good path for the generations to come,” stated Red Cloud Renewable Energy Center. “This impactful work directly benefits Native American communities by fostering self-sufficiency, reducing energy costs, and promoting sustainability, thereby enhancing the overall quality of life within these populations. We believe this path is a new way to honor the old ways and we hope you will join us on a journey of remembering our past, while building a new and better future! Mitákuye Oyás’in (“We Are All Related”).” 

For Dinsmore, renewable energy is here to stay and necessary for everyone to consider. The symposium also allowed a space for listening to different perspectives. 

“I think it truly shows people how big this thing is, we’re no longer just in that question phase of should we think about solar panels on the roof of my house,” Dinsmore said. “We’re truly talking about things that actually exist and are happening, and how we can rapidly expand that.” 

Dinsmore sees one area that renewable energy needs to be considered: data center development. “The other thing that changed is this influx of data center development, and we live in a state that can’t even produce enough electricity for all of the proposed data centers that we want,” said Dinsmore. 

“We need to consider these other options. So while the funding has been taken away, I believe that everybody sees the relevance for renewable energy. It might not power the data centers, but maybe it can power our homes so that we can use that previous energy to power the data centers or what it may be, and I think that what I’ve seen in Oklahoma, that was very strong.”

According to Dinsmore, renewable energy development impacts more than what power sources communities are using. “That opens up a ton of opportunities for people when it comes to careers, education or access to certain things. All of this plays into a lot of the high tech stuff that’s happening all of the big tech development, and this represents an opportunity for the tribes to be able to provide career opportunities to tribal members, which will only improve things for everybody.”

For more information about the symposium or tribal energy contact Dinsmore through email, brandon.dinsmore@okstate.edu