The realities of clean energy on tribal land
Despite billions in federal aid, many Native American tribes still live in energy poverty. One organization hopes to change that.
Podcast
Despite billions in federal aid, many Native American tribes still live in energy poverty. One organization hopes to change that.
Chéri Smith is a descendant of the Mi’kmaq Nation, native to northeastern North America. She has worked in clean energy for most of her career, but it took a 2016 visit to the Northern Cheyenne Reservation in Montana to understand the severity and persistence of energy poverty on tribal lands.
For 14% of households on tribal lands, electrification isn’t about replacing gas appliances with electric ones. It’s about having electricity at all. Chéri launched the Alliance for Tribal Clean Energy in 2016 to change that reality.
This week on With Great Power, Chéri explains why – despite a historic commitment of federal funds for clean energy development – tribes still face significant hurdles to building clean energy projects. The Alliance is working with philanthropic donors to raise $100M for the Indigenous Power and Light Fund for Energy Sovereignty to address those challenges.
