US Tribal Clean Energy Expansion on Rise for Free

New US federal legislation sets aside nearly $14 billion for 574 federally recognized indigenous nations and villages, which can be used to support tribal climate responsiveness and energy sovereignty. In a Policy Forum, Kimberly Yazzie and colleagues present a roadmap for designing, implementing, and funding projects and people to accelerate the renewable energy transition while also benefiting the indigenous entities involved. According to the authors, this opportunity positions indigenous communities to develop their economies and energy projects on their own terms to rectify many decades of energy and economic poverty and injustice. While the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act provide unprecedented opportunities to expand tribal renewable energy, indigenous groups face several barriers to accessing these funds. Here, Yaszzie et al. discuss these challenges and recommend strategies that could improve on funding opportunities that include indigenous partnerships. These include increasing flexibility in the deadlines for federal funding programs and loans, providing technical assistance for clean energy projects, and supporting the continuity of the work conducted by tribal energy projects, including workforce development. "Implementation will require vigilance to ensure that integrating justice throughout agency programs generates tribal wealth without recreating historical injustices. The issues we highlight and the recommendations we make are not all surprising, but they require bold action."