Agency Tribal Nations (ATN), a federally recognized Indian tribe on the Mendocino Indian Reservation, requests $2,000,000 in USDA Wood Products Infrastructure Assistance Program (WPIA) funding to establish a Hemp Biomass Processing Facility — the critical first-stage infrastructure of ATN's vertically integrated Mendocino Tribal Graphene Battery Center. This facility will procure and process hemp biomass byproducts from tribal land ecosystem management, converting them into graphene-grade carbon feedstock for domestic battery manufacturing.
ATN currently holds existing hemp biomass inventory and has enacted the Geronimo Hemp Industrial Research and Development Act — tribal legislation providing a complete regulatory framework for hemp cultivation and processing. A commercial offtake agreement with Battery Movement (Las Vegas, NV) establishes immediate market demand for processed hemp biomass used in graphene and graphene oxide production.
USDA WPIA funding will finance processing equipment (bast fiber separation, chopping, quality control laboratory), cold storage infrastructure, and facility construction. This processing infrastructure directly enables ATN to source hemp biomass from the 500+ acres of Mendocino tribal lands designated for ecosystem restoration through hemp cultivation — land that is currently classified as high-priority for wildfire, erosion, and invasive species risk. Hemp cultivation reduces this restoration cost by providing a market for biomass removal while simultaneously generating high-value graphene feedstock.
Agency Tribal Nations is a federally recognized Indian tribe — explicitly listed as an eligible applicant category under USDA-FS-WPIA-2026. As a tribal government operating on federal trust land, ATN holds sovereign authority over the Mendocino Indian Reservation and qualifies for tribal set-aside consideration under USDA programs.
| WPIA Requirement | ATN Project Response | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Facility procures and processes byproducts (timber and biomass) generated from ecosystem restoration/forest management | Hemp biomass is harvested from 500+ acres of tribal land being restored from invasive species, wildfire fuel buildup, and soil erosion. Hemp cultivation is the restoration mechanism, and the biomass is the byproduct. | ✓ Meets |
| Source approximately 50% of raw materials from federal or tribal lands designated high-priority for ecological restoration | 100% of hemp biomass sourced from Mendocino Indian Reservation tribal trust land. Lands are designated for ecological restoration under ATN's land management plan and BIA land stewardship framework. | ✓ Exceeds (100%) |
| Establish, reopen, or expand wood-processing or energy facilities | Establishes a new hemp biomass processing facility — no prior hemp processing infrastructure exists on the reservation. Direct establishment, not expansion. | ✓ Establish |
| Demonstrate how facility improvements reduce restoration project costs through market opportunities for byproducts | Hemp biomass has zero market value if unharvested. ATN's processing facility creates a $80–120/ton market for biomass removal, directly offsetting the cost of ecological restoration labor. See Section 5. | ✓ Documented |
| Eligible entity types: for-profit, government, tribe, nonprofit, educational institution | Agency Tribal Nations is a federally recognized tribal government. | ✓ Tribe |
The Mendocino Indian Reservation encompasses lands that have suffered decades of ecological degradation: invasive species encroachment, elevated wildfire fuel loads, and soil erosion from unmanaged vegetation. Restoration requires large-scale biomass removal — a process that is labor-intensive and cost-prohibitive without a market for the removed material.
Industrial hemp cultivation represents an integrated restoration solution: hemp suppresses invasive species through dense canopy coverage, rebuilds soil through deep root systems and nitrogen fixation, and provides a harvestable biomass crop that pays for the restoration labor. Without processing infrastructure to convert harvested hemp into marketable products, however, the biomass has no value — and the restoration economics do not work.
ATN currently holds hemp biomass inventory and has an active commercial buyer (Battery Movement) for processed hemp in graphene production. The bottleneck is processing infrastructure — specifically, the bast fiber separation, chopping, drying, and quality control equipment required to convert raw hemp stalks into Battery Movement's specification: "chopped to fine dust powder; mold-free; dry" (Battery Movement Offtake Agreement, Appendix A, Section D).
Without this processing infrastructure, ATN cannot:
The ATN Hemp Biomass Processing Facility will be a 12,000 square foot dedicated processing building on the Mendocino Indian Reservation, housing the complete biomass-to-graphene-feedstock production line. The facility processes raw hemp stalks through retting, fiber separation, size reduction, drying, quality control testing, and cold storage — producing finished hemp biomass powder ready for graphene synthesis.
| Equipment | Function | Output Specification | Est. Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hemp Decorticator / Fiber Separator | Separates bast fiber from hemp hurd (core) | Bast fiber: 73–77% cellulose; hurd separated for building materials | $180,000 |
| Hammer Mill / Fine Chopper | Reduces bast fiber to fine powder | "Fine dust powder" per Battery Movement Spec Option 1 | $95,000 |
| Industrial Dryer / Dehumidifier | Achieves required moisture content | Mold-free, dry product per offtake agreement | $120,000 |
| QC Laboratory Equipment | Cellulose%, pesticide screen, THC verification, moisture testing | Compliance documentation per Battery Movement Appendix A | $145,000 |
| Cold Storage Units (3×) | Seasonal harvest inventory management | Consistent year-round supply to Battery Movement | $85,000 |
| Conveyor & Material Handling | Connects processing stages | Continuous flow; 5 T/day throughput capacity | $110,000 |
| Packaging & Bulk Shipping Station | Final product packaging for transport | Bulk bags / super sacks per buyer specification | $45,000 |
| Total Equipment | $780,000 | ||
100% of hemp biomass will be sourced from ATN's Mendocino Indian Reservation tribal trust lands:
WPIA requires applicants to "demonstrate how facility improvements reduce restoration project costs through market opportunities for byproducts." ATN's hemp processing facility creates direct, quantifiable restoration cost offsets:
| Restoration Activity | Cost Without Hemp Market | Cost With ATN Processing Facility | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Invasive species biomass removal (per acre) | $800–$1,200 labor + disposal | $200–$400 (hemp harvest pays for labor) | $600–$800/acre |
| Wildfire fuel reduction (per acre) | $600–$1,000 treatment cost | $0–$200 (hemp crop value offsets treatment) | $400–$800/acre |
| Soil restoration / erosion control (per acre) | $500–$900 soil amendment + seeding | $100–$300 (hemp root system + nitrogen fixation) | $400–$600/acre |
| Hemp biomass disposal (without market) | $80–$120/ton disposal cost | $0 (sold to Battery Movement) | $80–$120/ton |
| Total Restoration Savings (500 acres, Year 2+) | $725,000–$1,150,000/year | $150,000–$350,000/year | $575,000–$800,000/year |
Beyond ATN's own lands, a functioning tribal hemp processing facility creates market infrastructure for surrounding Mendocino County landowners and neighboring tribal nations facing the same restoration challenges. ATN intends to offer contract processing services to neighboring growers, creating a regional biomass-to-graphene supply chain hub that amplifies the WPIA program's regional restoration impact.
| Month | Milestone | Deliverable |
|---|---|---|
| 0–1 | Award execution; tribal council resolution; site preparation begins | Resolution passed; site survey complete |
| 1–3 | Equipment procurement: decorticator, hammer mill, dryer (long-lead items) | Purchase orders placed; delivery confirmed |
| 3–5 | Facility construction: processing building shell, utilities, loading dock | Building CO issued; utilities connected |
| 5–6 | Equipment installation, commissioning, operator training | All equipment operational; 10 FTE trained |
| 6 | FIRST PRODUCTION RUN — existing hemp inventory processed | First Battery Movement shipment delivered |
| 6–12 | Full production operations; QC lab fully operational; certifications obtained | ISO-compliant QC documentation; first revenue |
| 6–12 | 100-acre hemp planting and cultivation (Year 1 crop, parallel to operations) | 100 acres established under Geronimo Act |
| 12–18 | First full hemp harvest processed; hurd by-product sales initiated | 150–200 T bast fiber processed; hurd sold |
| 18–24 | Scale to 500-acre hemp supply; processing throughput optimization; regional contract processing initiated | 500 T+ processed; 3 neighboring growers contracted |
| 24 | Final report to USDA; full operational capacity demonstrated | USDA performance report; economic impact data |
ATN is a federally recognized Indian tribe with enacted hemp regulatory law (Geronimo Hemp Industrial Research and Development Act), existing hemp operations, and institutional capacity for agricultural compliance, GPS-registered grow site management, quality assurance, and regulatory reporting. ATN has operating experience with hemp and cannabis cultivation providing direct transferable expertise to industrial hemp biomass production.
Head of Tribal Nations Government and GSA Federal Tribal Contractor. Leads ATN's hemp regulatory program, tribal-federal government relations, and commercial partnership development. Authorized organizational representative for all federal applications and agreements.
Battery Movement (David Kam, Founder; 3651 Lindell Road Suite D, Las Vegas, NV 89103) is an active producer of Battery Coin graphene products. The existing offtake agreement framework (DocuSign BDFB63FA-9777-49CD-998C-AB474D2BD844) establishes commercial demand for ATN's processed hemp biomass and provides the revenue stream that funds facility operations from Month 6 forward.
| Position | FTE | Qualifications Required |
|---|---|---|
| Facility Manager | 1 | Agricultural processing operations; equipment management |
| QC Lab Technician | 1 | Fiber testing, cellulose analysis, pesticide screening |
| Processing Line Operators | 4 | Equipment operation; tribal employment preference |
| Hemp Cultivation Lead | 1 | Agronomy; hemp cultivar management under Geronimo Act |
| Logistics Coordinator | 1 | Supply chain, Battery Movement shipment coordination |
| Administrative / Compliance | 2 | Tribal regulatory compliance, USDA reporting |
| Phase 1 Total | 10 FTE | All positions tribal employment preference |
| Category | Year 1 | Year 2 | Total | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Processing Equipment (decorticator, chopper, dryer, QC lab, cold storage, conveyors) | $780,000 | $120,000 | $900,000 | USDA WPIA |
| Facility Construction (12,000 sq ft processing building, utilities, loading dock) | $650,000 | $100,000 | $750,000 | USDA WPIA + ATN |
| Personnel (10 FTE Year 1; 15 FTE Year 2 avg $52K) | $520,000 | $780,000 | $1,300,000 | USDA WPIA + Revenue |
| Hemp Cultivation (seed, soil prep, irrigation — 100 acres Yr1, 500 Yr2) | $180,000 | $420,000 | $600,000 | ATN Cost Share |
| Travel & Training (USDA reporting, equipment training) | $35,000 | $25,000 | $60,000 | USDA WPIA |
| Certification & Compliance (USDA hemp license, QC certifications) | $45,000 | $20,000 | $65,000 | USDA WPIA |
| Indirect / Tribal Overhead (15%) | $162,500 | $162,500 | $325,000 | USDA WPIA |
| Total Project Cost | $2,372,500 | $1,627,500 | $4,000,000 | |
| USDA WPIA Request | $1,300,000 | $700,000 | $2,000,000 | 50% of total |
| ATN Cost Share (hemp inventory + cash) | $1,072,500 | $927,500 | $2,000,000 | 50% of total |
| Benefit Category | Quantified Impact |
|---|---|
| Jobs Created (Year 1–2) | 10–15 permanent FTE; $52K avg wage; 100% tribal employment preference |
| Tribal Revenue Generated | $1.2M–$1.8M/yr from Battery Movement biomass sales (Year 1–2) |
| Restoration Cost Savings | $575K–$800K/yr (500 acres × avg $1,200 savings/acre) |
| Carbon Sequestration | 500 acres hemp: ~3,000 metric tons CO₂/yr sequestered during growing season |
| Invasive Species Controlled | 500 acres suppressed annually through hemp canopy coverage |
| Wildfire Fuel Reduced | 500 acres of fuel load managed annually; Mendocino County fire risk reduction |
| Soil Health Improvement | Hemp root system rebuilds soil structure; nitrogen fixation reduces fertilizer inputs |
| Domestic Supply Chain | Creates first tribal-owned graphene feedstock processing facility in U.S. |
| Justice40 Alignment | 100% of benefits to Mendocino Indian Reservation (designated disadvantaged community) |
| Replication Potential | Model replicable at 574 federally recognized tribes with similar land restoration needs |
By signing below, the authorized organizational representative certifies that: (1) the information in this application is accurate and complete; (2) the applicant has legal authority to apply for federal assistance; (3) the applicant will comply with all applicable laws and program requirements; (4) the applicant acknowledges the 50% cost share requirement and confirms the cost share sources identified herein are available and committed; and (5) the applicant is a federally recognized Indian tribe eligible to apply under USDA-FS-WPIA-2026.