Todd Guerrero in Kutak Rock's Minneapolis office assisted the Southern Ute Indian Tribe to navigate through “muddy legal waters” so as to allow the Tribe to move forward on a demonstration solar project within the boundaries of its reservation. The Tribe had received a grant from the Department of Energy to help fund the solar project. Guerrero helped the Tribe work through challenges arising because the Tribe is served by the La Plata Electric Association (LPEA), a distribution cooperative that provides electric service on an exclusive basis within the reservation and surrounding areas.

For more than a year Kutak Rock worked with the Tribe in addressing and overcoming unique obstacles posed by LPEA before LPEA agreed to allow the solar project to interconnect to its system and provide electric service to buildings on the reservation.

To see a recent article on the project in The Durango Herald, please click here.