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Cowlitz Indian Tribe outlines transit service, solar and heavy‑duty charging plans; offers regional partnership opportunities
Summary
Cowlitz Indian Tribe Public Works described expanded transit services open to the public, large clean‑energy grants and plans for heavy‑duty truck charging hubs along I‑5; officials urged partnership with counties and cities to address shared corridor needs.
Representatives of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe presented a wide‑ranging transportation and clean‑energy briefing to the commission in Kalama.
Dean Reynolds (tribal general counsel and public works vice chair) and staff described rapid departmental growth and a transit service that is free to riders and operates across Cowlitz, Lewis and Clark counties with the primary purpose of connecting rural residents to medical appointments and other essential trips. Tribal staff said the service is open to the public and is supported with WSDOT and federal funds and that the tribe also subcontracts to support Medicaid rides for partner organizations.
The tribe outlined a clean‑energy push that includes dozens of solar installations, battery storage and more than 50 EV chargers to date. Tribal leaders said they have applied for or been awarded grant funding to develop heavy‑duty charging hubs for electric trucks along I‑5 and are discussing potential partnerships with the Port of Longview, Amazon and manufacturers. They described plans for a tribal utility authority and emphasized the tribal transit facility’s role as an emergency management hub with on‑site generation and battery capacity that can sustain operations for multiple days during outages.
Tribal transportation staff also explained the tribe’s inventory of roadway miles and the constraints of Bureau of Indian Affairs (Tribal Transportation Program) formula funding, noting that partnerships with counties, MPOs and WSDOT can unlock additional resources for projects that benefit both tribal and non‑tribal communities.
Commission members thanked tribal leaders for their collaboration and noted that tribal grant capacity and project delivery can be a force multiplier for regional infrastructure work, particularly where federal funds can supplement local dollars.
The presentation concluded with an invitation to continue coordination on electrification, heavy‑duty charging, and regional trail and evacuation planning.
