Prayer walkers lead by Miccosukee grandmother Betty Osceola (second from left) and Seminole artist Samuel Tommie make their way in silent prayer on top of the levee around Lake Okeechobee near Clyde’s Canal in Lakeport, Fla., on Wednesday, February 10, 2021. The Miccosukee Tribe of Indians is getting a $15 million grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to fight climate change. The tribe celebrated plans to spend the money to replace gas and diesel-burning school buses and other vehicles with electric vehicles at a ceremony Friday that included students and federal officials. The tribe will also use the money to install solar panels. “The ambitious project funded by this grant will bring substantial environmental, economic, and health benefits to the Tribe and set a powerful example for communities across the nation,” EPA Region 4 Chief of Staff John Nicholson said in a statement. Said Chairman Talbert Cypress of the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida: “We applaud Congress and the Biden Administration for its historic funding in support of Tribal renewable energy sovereignty.” READ MORE: Oil drilling has endured in the Everglades for decades. Now, Miccosukee Tribe has a plan to stop it Copyright 2024 WLRN Public Media