Tribal Clean Energy Summit banner

On Oct. 4-5, 2022, tribal leaders joined U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm and Office of Indian Energy Director Wahleah Johns for a nation-to-nation discussion to explore how tribes can harness clean energy to enhance energy sovereignty, address climate resilience, and build stronger economies.

The 2022 Tribal Clean Energy Summit, held in Washington, DC, focused on:  

  • Federal energy programs and opportunities such as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act 
  • Increasing access to energy project finance and capital
  • Energy access, security, reliability, and transition issues
  • Workforce development and transition
  • Ensuring consultation and meaningful tribal leader participation in national energy infrastructure decision making. 
     

Summit Photos

Additional photos, and larger versions of these photos, are available on our Flickr page.

Summit Materials

View presentations and documents that were provided at the Summit.

Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2022

DAY 1: Livestream recording

Welcome to Tribal Leaders, Alaska Native Corporation (ANC) Executives and Partners

Moderator: Wahleah Johns, Director, Office of Indian Energy (IE), U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)

  • Posting of the Colors: Native American Women Warriors
  • Traditional Welcome: Peter Brooks, Choptico Band of the Historic Piscataway Chiefdom

Remarks:

  • Ali Zaidi, Assistant to the President and National Climate Advisor, White House
  • Ali Nouri, Assistant Secretary for Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs (CI), DOE

DOE Tribal Energy Programs Geared to Support Tribal Energy and Infrastructure Development, Capacity and Technical Assistance

Affiliation Presenter(s) Presentations
DOE Office of Indian Energy Dr. Tommy Jones, Deployment Specialist Indian Energy Program Overview
DOE Office of Policy Alyse Taylor-Anyikire, Ph.D., Senior Advisor Tribal Relevant Programs in IRA

Tribal Energy Loan Guarantee Program

DOE Loans Program Office (LPO) Matt Ferguson Tribal Energy Financing: Tribal Public Private Partnerships
DOE Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU) Tamara Miles, Deputy Director, DOE Small Business Programs Doing Business with DOE

DOE Clean Energy Programs with Tribal Implications (Part I)
This session provides an overview of the DOE Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) and Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) components for tribal governments and Alaska Native Corporations.

Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED) Brian O'Donnchadha, Tribal Liaison Introduction to the Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations
Grid Deployment Office (GDO) Dylan Reed, Senior Advisor, External Affairs BIL and IRA Program and Opportunities
State and Community Energy Programs Office (SCEP) Chris Castro, Chief of Staff Improving Access to Efficiency and Clean Energy

DOE Clean Energy Programs with Tribal Implications (Part II)

Manufacturing Energy Supply Chain Office (MESC) Zack Valdez, Chief of Staff Manufacturing Energy Supply Chain
Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) Mary Sotos, Director;
Skye Schell, Supervisor, Procurement Services
FEMP: Tribal Energy and Federal Engagement
Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER) Brandi Martin, Program Manager, State, Local, Tribal and Territorial Program Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response
Nuclear Energy (NE) Jay Jones, Tribal Liaison DOE Office of Nuclear Energy

 

Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2022

DAY 2: Livestream recording

Welcome and Introduction

  • Matt Dannenberg, Tribal Liaison, DOE Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs
  • Video Message from Tracey LeBeau, CEO and Administrator of the Western Area Power Administration, First Director of the Indian Energy Office

Building Tribal Clean Energy Economies Discussion and Key Considerations
Moderator: David Conrad, Deputy Director, DOE Indian Energy Office

Affiliation Presenter(s) Presentations
Office of the Secretary of Energy Karen Skelton, Senior Advisor Direction from the President and Energy Communities
Associated Universities Inc. Dr. Adam Cohen, President and CEO Regional Innovation to Enable the Clean Energy Transition
Aspen Institute Greg Gershuny, Executive Director, Energy and Environment Program Aspen Institute: Energy Economy
National Center for American Indian Economic Development Derrick Watchman, Chairman, Board of Directors Building Tribal Clean Energy Economies

National Clean Energy Infrastructure Planning and Deployment by DOE Offices

Electric Vehicles:

Joint Office of Energy and Transportation Torrey Lyons Incorporating Equity and Justice40 in NEVI and Beyond
DOE Vehicle Technologies Office Mike Weismiller, Program Manager, Electrification R&D Supporting Vehicle Electrification

Transmission:

DOE Grid Deployment Office Molly Roy, Science and Energy Program Manager Grid Deployment Office: Transmission Division

Critical Minerals Supply Chain Issues:

DOE Office of Fossil Energy & Carbon Management (FECM) Dr. Grant Bromhal, Acting Director, Mineral Sustainability Division DOE Minerals Sustainability

Workforce Development, Transition and Capacity

  • STEM Education
  • Workforce Transition and Retention
  • Workforce Development to Support Energy Transition
  • Community Benefit Agreements
DOE Office of Energy Jobs Betony Jones, Director Workforce and Equity through Community Benefits Plans
DOE Office of Economic Impact and Diversity Sonrisa Lucero, Special Advisor, Stakeholder Engagement;
Christy Jackiewicz, Chief, Minority Educational Institution Division
Minority Educational Institutions - Equity in Education

National Clean Energy Infrastructure Planning and Deployment

Hydrogen:

Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM) Robert Schrecengost, Senior Program Manager Fossil Energy and Carbon Management 
Hydrogen Program
Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Eric Miller, Senior Advisor The U.S. DOE Hydrogen Program

Carbon Sequestration:

DOE Office of Carbon Management Technologies Mark Ackiewicz, Acting Director Office of Carbon Management Technologies Overview

Closing Remarks
Wahleah Johns, Director, Office of Indian Energy, DOE

  • Key Themes from Summit Tracks
  • Traditional Closing
  • Retiring of the Colors: Native American Women Warriors

Livestream Recordings

Watch recorded livestream sessions from the Key Energy Partner and Stakeholders agenda. Tribal leader sessions with Secretary Granholm were closed to the public and were not streamed.

Video Url
Sessions from the Key Energy Partner and Stakeholders agenda.
U.S. Department of Energy

Agenda

For tribal leaders: a high-level overview of key DOE programs, a moderated tribal leader-focused caucus discussion, and a facilitated roundtable discussion on tribal energy sovereignty with Secretary Granholm.

For other key energy attendees: a separate and highly impactful track with DOE briefings on current developments and opportunities, as well as key external strategies to support tribal energy infrastructure development and advance tribal energy security and sovereignty.

The DOE Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs, along with the DOE Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs, hosts these summits in collaboration with the National Conference of State Legislatures. For questions, please email indianenergy@hq.doe.gov.