educational, employment, and health out-
comes.¡±
The result of the first partnership between
the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe and the State of
Colorado to develop supportive housing, the
modular structure is funded through a variety
of sources including a $871,014 grant and
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Devel-
opment project-based vouchers provided to
the Ute Mountain Housing Authority (UMHA)
by the Colorado Department of Local Affairs
(DOLA) Division of Housing.
¡°This project respects tribal sovereignty while
creating an affordable community where
residents can access behavioral health and
counseling services in order to lead healthy
and productive lives,¡± said Irv Halter, execu-
tive director of DOLA.
The Colorado Housing and Finance Author-
ity also played a crucial role in financing the
project, providing a $250,000 Housing Oppor-
tunity Fund investment.
¡°Everyone in Colorado deserves housing
stability and there is great need in our tribal
communities.
(continued on pg4>)
The Good News
2016 December/January
Pg 3 - The Sunshine Express
¡°We congratulate all of our fellow NARA partners and
thank the USDA-NIFA, for its unwavering support in
the pursuit of renewable jet fuel. I also thank Alaska
Airlines, who continues to be a great partner,¡± said Pat
Gruber, Gevo¡¯s Chief Executive Officer.
Several elected officials joined the 163 passengers on
the Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-800 jet bound for the
nation¡¯s capital, including Congresswoman Suzan Del-
Bene (WA-1), Congressman Dave Reichert (WA-8), and
Congressman Denny Heck (WA-10).
¡°I am proud to see the world¡¯s first biojet fuel made
from forest residuals being flown on an Alaska Airlines
airplane,¡± said U.S. Senator Patty Murray. ¡°The Pacific
Northwest continues to be on the cutting edge of new
technology that will make airplanes better, safer, and
more efficient, and I¡¯m thrilled that so many stakehold-
ers came together and that Washington State Univer-
sity has led this important effort.¡±
¡°Today¡¯s flight comes after years of investments to help
the aviation biofuels industry take off,¡± said U.S. Sena-
tor Cantwell. ¡°By creating these sustainable biofuels,
we will revitalize our rural agricultural communities,
foster economic growth, reduce greenhouse gas emis-
sions, and cut our dependence on foreign oil while
growing our competitiveness in global markets.¡±
¡°Today¡¯s flight demonstrates that Washington state¡¯s
innovation economy is once again at the forefront of
collaborative, transformative research by using mate-
rial that would otherwise be discarded, to create a new
biofuel,¡± said U.S. Congresswoman Suzan DelBene.
¡°Here in the Pacific Northwest, we know that the natu-
ral environment that surrounds us is what makes living
here special. We have a tremendous opportunity in our
region to build a new green economy and find innova-
tive solutions to address climate change for our health
and future generations, as this project highlights.¡±
State and Ute Mountain Ute leaders to
celebrate groundbreaking of supportive
housing on tribal land
DENVER, Thursday, Dec. 1, 2016: State, local,
and tribal officials today joined investment and
development partners to celebrate the ground-
breaking of the South Towaoc Supportive Hous-
ing project.
Combining affordable housing with access to
supportive services, the 11-unit supportive hous-
ing project located on the Ute Mountain Ute Res-
ervation at 4 Rodeo Drive in Towaoc will serve
Ute Mountain Ute Tribal Members and other Ute
Mountain Ute residents who are homeless or at-
risk of homelessness and earning at or less than
30 percent of area median income.
¡°We all need a safe place to call home,¡± said
Gov. John Hickenlooper. ¡°This historic project
represents a significant milestone in the state¡¯s
ongoing commitment to provide more humane
and cost-effective interventions for vulnerable
populations. This allows us to better reduce the
utilization of emergency services while improving
Bio-Jet Fuel (continued from page 1)
Affordable Community Project
Alaska Airlines flew
two other flights in
June using a blend
of biofuel produced
from non-edible,
sustainable corn.
Photos from the
news conference are
available at: blog.
alaskaair.com
High definition b-roll
available at: vimeo.
com/191521434/
b3b2623501
To learn more about
NARA Renewables
visit:
nararenewables.
org and follow the
flight using the
hashtags: #JetFuel
and #CleanEnergy
(source: Alaska Air-
lines)
The biofuel powering
Alaska Airlines flight 4 is
made from excess forest
residuals collected from
sustainably managed
forests owned by
Weyerhaeuser, the
Muckleshoot Indian
Tribe and the
Confederated Salish
Kootenai Tribes.