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- By Chez Oxendine
- Economic Development
For years, Wabanaki tribal communities faced a costly dilemma: pay outside contractors $500 to $1,000 per home for energy audits, or go without services that could slash utility bills for hundreds of tribal members.
Now, the federally recognized tribes in Maine are trying a different approach. They’re training their own members as energy auditors and heat-pump technicians, creating immediate cost savings and long-term career pathways that keep energy dollars flowing within the tribal communities.
“We don't want to go outside of the nations to get these services,” Kelsey Flores, coordinator of the Wabanaki Sustainable Energy Team, told Tribal Business News. “The overall goal is to feed into our resilience and our self-sufficiency.”
The workforce development strategy represents a shift toward self-sufficiency that has become even more urgent after the Environmental Protection Agency rescinded a $1.1 million grant in May that supported the tribes’ renewable energy programs.
The effort is led by the Wabanaki Sustainable Energy Team. The team is composed of representatives from four Native nations: the Penobscot Nation; the Passamaquoddy Tribe (with communities at Pleasant Point and Indian Township); the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians; and the Mi'kmaq Nation. The team also includes partners at the University of Maine.
The team is now offering two energy-related workforce development programs: energy audit training available free to members of the Penobscot Nation, and a three-week pre-apprenticeship program on heat pump installation for up to 20 members of the Wabanaki tribes.
The energy audit training program offers multiple certification levels, including building science principles and building analyst technician certifications. The sessions begin July 18 and Aug. 22, according to George Callas, founder of energy training firm Build Green Maine.
The training is conducted online, with Callas leading the courses and providing ongoing mentorship to help participants interested in launching their own energy audit businesses. Training costs are covered by the Penobscot Nation, and applications are still being accepted for the program through reaching out to Flores or by contacting Build Green Maine directly through their website.
The training is conducted online, with Callas leading the courses and providing ongoing mentorship to help participants interested in launching their own energy audit businesses. Participants in the program can reduce their home energy consumption by 25% and successful business owners could potentially audit hundreds of homes, Callas told Tribal Business News.
“There’s a couple of different degrees of accomplishment here,” Callas said. “When people come through and do training like ours, they often look around their own house and make changes, at the very least. Some people go on to be entrepreneurs, who will run with this and make it a business to provide this service for other people, or help contractors looking to install things like insulation and sealing.”
The heat pump training takes a different approach, focusing on construction trades and union careers. The three-week pre-apprenticeship program is open to Wabanaki tribal members or descendants who have a high school diploma or equivalent and a valid driver's license, according to Sam Boss, apprenticeship and workforce development director for the Maine chapter of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO). The program covers lodging, tuition and up to $150 in gas cards for selected trainees.
Trainees will work through basic electrical and construction certifications, learn the tools of the trade, and help install heat pumps in Wabanaki tribal communities. The program will train 20 people from across the Wabanaki nations, and applications are still being accepted through Flores with an Aug. 4 deadline.
Boss said the program prepares participants for union apprenticeships that offer paid training, benefits, healthcare and pensions.
“Usually, these pre apprenticeship programs are considered a first step on your pathway to getting into a registered apprenticeship with a union,” Boss told Tribal Business News. “[Those apprenticeships] are a great pathway into the trades, because you're not going into debt, you're getting benefits, great health care and a pension.”
Heat pumps have become increasingly popular in Maine, which has installed more than 100,000 of the energy efficient devices over the past decade — three times the national average, according to Bloomberg. The state’s push toward heat pump adoption has created growing demand for skilled installers.
The workforce programs are moving forward in this growing market, despite losing a primary funding source. Community action grants through the state of Maine have enabled Flores to stay in her position as coordinator and supported the energy audit training. The AFL-CIO partnership has enabled the August 11-29 heat pump training session to continue.
The University of Maine is pursuing a legal dispute to try to recover the EPA funding, according to Flores.
The funding loss highlighted the vulnerability of federal support and reinforced the need for economic strategies that don't depend on government programs, Flores said.
"It's really unfortunate to see how easy it is to strip away crucial funding that was set to positively impact these communities that have been historically underserved," Flores said.
But the setback hasn't derailed the long-term vision. The Sustainable Energy Team continues to meet monthly to discuss strategies for expanding the programs and finding non-federal partners. The ultimate goal is creating tribally-owned businesses in the green energy sector that can serve both tribal and broader markets.
“The Wabanaki Nations have always been and will always be resilient, so their energy, visions and goals will remain the same,” Flores said. “We are more than open to expanding our network, solidifying our partnerships, and really working with any partner that is willing to support these projects.”
Brian Edwards contributed reporting.
