Impact Spotlight
Solar energy for 126 members of the Standing Rock Nation
Full-time employment opportunities in a community with a 50% unemployment rate
30 kW solar energy project to power the entire community
About
In Porcupine, South Dakota, members of the Standing Rock Nation spend an average of 19% of their monthly incomes on their utility bill, despite earning less than 60% of the area’s median income. Meanwhile, homeowners in adjacent regions throughout North and South Dakota pay an average of just 3%.
In response to these historic inequities, SAGE Development Authority (SAGE), a 100% Native-led organization with a women-led Board of Directors, is dedicated to community development, institution-building, and self-determination for the Standing Rock Nation. SAGE Authority exists to ensure energy independence, protect the environment, and promote economic growth in the region, for the Nation. SAGE acts as a Public Power Authority (PPA) that controls and operates all the energy production assets within Standing Rock.
“SAGE is one way we, at Standing Rock, are working towards a better way of life. The renewable energy we are fostering comes from systems that do not extract from our world. This is better for our kids. We will replenish, not deplete.”
HF Partnership
In partnership with the Honnold Foundation, SAGE Development Authority will launch its first community-scale solar PV project for Porcupine’s Community District Center and its Headstart Building, expanding on SAGE’s previous work shifting from fossil fuel dependence to a sovereign energy economy. Ultimately, the project will build energy justice for the Standing Rock Nation, and with it, job creation.
In the News
