EPA Awards Historic Coalition of Native Tribes More Than $135 Million for Transition to Solar Energy

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 22, 2024

After a months-long wait, the Tribal Renewable Energy Coalition* on Earth Day received good news: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a $135,580,000 Solar for All program award that will enable the coalition of 14 tribes to deploy transformational solar energy projects in tribal communities across five states.

The Three Affiliated Tribes: the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation (also known as the MHA Nation) is the lead recipient. Native-led nonprofit Indigenized Energy serves as the grant and project manager.

Indigenized Energy with the Three Affiliated Tribes formed the Tribal Renewable Energy Coalition, a consortium of tribes from across the Northern Plains/Northern Rockies regions, in response to the EPA’s call last year for Solar for All project proposals. The coalition represents the first time in history these tribes have joined forces to work together for a clean energy future. The 14 tribes include:

●       Three Affiliated Tribes-Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation

●       Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate Nation

●       Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin

●       Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians

●       Spirit Lake Nation

●       RoseBud Sioux Tribe

●       Yankton Sioux Tribe

●       Oglala Sioux Tribe

●       Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe

●       Northern Cheyenne

●       Chippewa Cree-Rocky Boy

●       Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes of Fort Peck

●       Black Feet Nation

●       Northern Arapaho Tribe of Wyoming

Solar for All funding is expected to jumpstart solar economies for Tribes, bringing new economic opportunities in areas that have historically been fossil-fuel dependent and which include some of the most economically disadvantaged communities in the nation.

Indigenized Energy will bring its experience in both solar project and workforce development to manage the project, and ensure all activities are Native-led from start to finish.

“This award from the Inflation Reduction Act and Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund will serve as a catalyst for Tribes and energy justice communities like ours who are leading the way in building our own clean energy systems on our own lands,” said Cody Two Bears, Chief Executive Officer of Indigenized Energy. “This is a once-in-a-generation award that will begin to transform how Tribes achieve energy sovereignty. The shift from extractive energy to regenerative energy systems will be the legacy we leave for our future generations.”

MHA Nation Tribal Chairman Mark N. Fox, a U.S. Marine Corps Veteran, said, “Our future depends on changing our approach to energy. All forms of energy will play a role. We are honored to lead a coalition of 14 tribes in our region to develop the efficient, resilient, and renewable energy systems that the Solar for All program will support.”

In 2023, the EPA invited competitive proposals for $7 billion in Solar for All funding, made available through the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), the single largest investment in climate and energy in American history. The Solar for All program is part of the resulting $27 billion Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund designed to address the climate crisis, promote energy independence, lower energy costs and jumpstart economic revitalization in communities that have historically been left behind. 

The Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund also included $6 billion for the Clean Communities Investment Accelerator, $400 million of which was awarded to the Native CDFI Network, a steadfast advocate for Native community development financial institutions (CDFIs) nationwide. Indigenized Energy will be working closely with the Native CDFI Network on our project to stretch the dollars and promote lending and financing transactions.

View to the full press release from the EPA here.

View the full list of Solar for All program grantees here.

*At the time of the award, the Tribal Renewable Energy Coalition was known as the Northern Plains Tribal Energy Coalition. They have since built consensus around the new name and voted to approve it in Fall 2024.