By Kimberly Hayes

Rising gas prices are forcing individuals across the country to make tough budget choices as they are seeing their travel expenses and home energy costs rise. This impact is felt even more in Indian Country, where incomes are often lower and energy needs higher.

Reports from across the country are noting that Native Americans and tribal governments are feeling the pinch from higher fuel costs, particularly on more remote and large reservations and in Alaska. At risk are individuals’ abilities to commute to work, obtain health care, visit family members, attend powwows and heat or cool their homes. At the tribal government level, rising prices can affect transportation, meal delivery to elders, law enforcement activities and numerous other services provided to members.

Some tribes are trying to help offset the cost of fuel prices for both members and employees. The Saginaw Chippewa in Michigan, for instance, is offering all tribal employees the same 10 cent per gallon discount that members receive. Other tribes are reportedly looking into reducing work weeks to four days and increasing work-related gas and mileage reimbursement rates.

Pump prices are also impacting more non-obvious areas of life, like the upcoming presidential election. The National Congress of American Indians is working hard on its “Native Vote” campaign, however, many Native Americans have to travel long distances to vote. Communities need to coordinate car-pooling and other avenues to ensure that gas prices are not a barrier to voting, Jacqueline Johnson (Tlingit Haida), NCAI’s executive director, said.

National organizations are aware of the burden of higher energy costs on tribes and their members. “More than anything, we are concerned about how it is impacting members, especially elders,” Johnson said.

This is a major issue in rural Alaska and within Johnson’s tribe. “This was the number one priority at NCAI’s Economic Summit [held in Alaska],” Johnson continued.

As increasing amounts of dollars go toward transportation, tribal governments have to make decisions on what services to cut. Take education. “Tribes may have to make decisions like what do we need more, buses or teachers?” Johnson said.

In southeast Alaska, Native villages are seeing some of the highest prices in the country. Some areas, like Wrangell, are hitting as high as $5.17 per gallon, said Loretta Wallin of the Tlingit Haida Central Council of Governance office. Her office covers 19 Native communities in southeast Alaska, and an informal survey of seven of those communities showed the average as $4.54 per gallon.

In these communities, the cost associated with heating homes is more crucial than driving costs. “It may come to a decision about oil or food. And as winter comes closer, a tough decision gets tougher,” Wallin said.

Home heating costs have more than tripled, said Sandra Cross, energy assistance coordinator for the Tlingit Haida Regional Housing Authority.

“We thought fuel costs were high when filling up a fuel tank for the winter cost $1,600. Now that same amount of money only buys enough fuel to last for three months,” Cross said.

Adding to the problems for the Juneau area, last spring an avalanche took down hydro electricity, and Alaska Electric Light and Power had to switch to diesel fuel. Electric bills that normally ran around $150 per month jumped to $800, Cross said. Many members still face paying that bill, although the utility company has offered to average payments over the year.

THRHA unsuccessfully tried to declare an emergency in order to get general assistance from the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program provides some Alaska Natives with funds for energy needs, but that does not go very far under current conditions, Cross said.

“It is really sad because the low-income households who depend on their car and are on a fixed income now have to decide between a fill up and groceries,” Cross said. “We are all learning a quick lesson on conserving energy, which is hard to do in Alaska.”

NCAI is encouraging all tribes to look seriously at alternative energies and energy reduction in addition to immediate relief, like gas discounts.

“We are encouraging tribal communities to get engaged around this,” Johnson said.