Remarks As Delivered by Secretary Jennifer Granholm at DOE’s 2024 Tribal Clean Energy Summit

Thank you Jana, and thank you Wahleah. 

And I know…is Chairman Macarro here?

Where? Over there! Alright, excellent.

And so grateful to the Pechanga Band of Indians for hosting today.

It’s a treat to join you here at DOE’s Tribal Energy Summit. This is going to be a fun one!

Why is that? 

[Cheers]

Yes! 

Because after three years of deepening our consultation…of wrangling legislation…of standing up billions of dollars’ worth of new programs…

Today, DOE is announcing some huge awards! So just stay tuned.

Before I get to that, I want to share a quote that’s on my mind.

There is this old adage that says that, “Leadership is planting trees under whose shade you will never sit.”

And its meaning, of course, is clear: that we have a duty to think and to act beyond self. 

We have a duty to leave our children and our grandchildren—to seven generations—a better world than the one we were born into.

Or as we often say in my family: “We must leave the campsite cleaner than we found it.”

And I was thinking about this yesterday evening, because I had the opportunity to join Chairman Macarro for a visit to Pechanga Reservation’s Great Oak Tree.

For those of you who don’t know, it’s just this amazing tree, which is indigenous to this area.

It’s 1,500 years old. And it’s one of the oldest living oak trees in the United States. 

And it is massive—its trunk is 25 feet around. It stands almost 100 feet tall. 

But the cool thing about it is that, because it’s been there so long, its branches come down and touch the ground, and have grown into the ground. So it’s like standing underneath this massive, incredible umbrella as you visit the tree.

And it’s as though the tree is like an old grandmother whose arms are reaching down to embrace all who gather beneath her.

Even now, the Chairman was telling me that the tree produces the acorns that sustained the Pechanga people for thousands of years.

And even today, the Pechanga people dig up the saplings from those acorns that sprout under the tree, and [they] replant them across the reservation, so that one day their descendants can sit in their shade.

This tree made me reflect upon the work that we are doing—that we’re doing at DOE, and that those in this room are doing.

This multi-generational mindset is really at the heart of the President’s clean energy agenda and strategy. It’s the legacy we hope we will leave.

Because we are, right now, the projects we’re investing in are like saplings that we’re planting across the country…

Saplings that we hope will grow into mighty oaks… 

That will bear endless fruit for their caretakers, in the form of good jobs and economic growth…

In a future where we once again live in harmony with the Earth, instead of polluting her. Instead of polluting our shared home. 

So together, we have got a lot to be proud of:

Sixty-six million dollars awarded so far to Tribes for grid resilience projects.

Nearly a quarter of a billion dollars available for Tribal rebate programs.

Twenty billion in loan authority available for Tribal energy projects at scale…and so much more.

And these accomplishments are built from your guidance. Your ideas.

I hope you see that in our new and improved funding opportunities. 

I hope you see that we’re trying to make those opportunities more accessible, more sustainable—it’s not perfect, we’ve still got a lot of bureaucracy, you know—but we’re trying, with lowering cost-share requirements, with fewer archaic qualifications.

We’ve hired dozens of new Tribal Liaisons. We’ve deepened our consultation and engagement around co-stewardship.

And we do those things not just because they are the right thing to do—and they are…

But because they’re the only way to make sure the clean energy transition succeeds!

They’re the only way to bring about the sweeping and lasting change that our children and our grandchildren deserve.

So, [that] brings me to today’s announcement:

Last year, we opened at DOE a new funding opportunity through President Biden’s infrastructure law, for energy improvements in rural or remote areas. This was not specifically for Tribes. It was just energy improvements, for rural and remote areas.

Today I am thrilled to announce that we have selected 17 projects overall to begin negotiations with.

And of those 17, twelve are Tribal—are by Tribes, for Tribes! 

Twelve! That’s 70 percent of these awards [that] went to Tribal Nations, and Tribal projects!

[Applause]

And you know what—because this was a competitive program, right? It just so happens that Tribes submitted overwhelmingly great projects to be able to fund. 

And not only did you win 70 percent, but collectively, over $200 million, this is the largest amount that the Department of Energy has awarded to Tribal energy projects. 

It is historic. Historic!

[Applause]

So, I am going to ask that the Tribal leaders and representatives from those 12 projects please stand so we can see who you are, and congratulate you. Please stand up! If you are from one of those projects.

[Applause]

Woo! [claps] 

Bravo!

And if you didn’t apply, there’ll be more chances.

But for those who did, congratulations.

Together, these projects are actually going to serve 30 Tribal Nations, from Alaska to Wisconsin, California, New Mexico…

And each one carrying a potential for generational change.

Let me give you a couple of examples.

On Navajo and Hopi land in Arizona and New Mexico and Utah—

[Applause]

Alright! [laughs] The rowdy table over here.

Native Renewables is going to install home solar and battery systems for 300 Tribal homes.

Now that is powerful. Because in the sunniest part of the country, thousands of Tribal homes simply do not have electricity at all.

They rely on flashlights and batteries. If they have a generator, they drive 45 minutes to town to fill it with gas. If they don’t have a propane refrigerator, they go buy ice almost every day.

And home solar flings open wide the doors of opportunity, and comfort.

For more fresh, healthy food. For running water. For internet access. For remote school and work. For just making a pot of coffee!

And some elders have lived in these homes for generations, and they never thought that they would see electricity in their lifetime.

And now they will. 

And their children and grandchildren will as well, who could also live in these homes for generations more. So great.

Then, in Washington State, the Yakama Nation—I know they’re here too. Where are you, Yakama? Somewhere?

[Applause]

OK! They’re going to convert old irrigation canals—there’s a lot of canals—and they’re gonna turn them into [a] highly-efficient solar and micro-hydropower system.

So they’ll build solar over the canals, so the project, it won’t disturb cultural resources.

And that really means something to elders who still remember the [first] rush of new energy development.

They still remember places like Celilo Falls…the roar of the falls, and then, the deafening silence as it was swallowed by Dalles Dam to power the growing region.

And with this new project, the Yakama people will prove that clean energy and responsible development can and must go hand in hand.

And they’ll make sure that young people won’t have to rely upon stories about sacred sites.

Instead, they’ll come to know those sites, and cherish them, and protect them for the generations to come.

And then, in 11 Alaska Native Villages in the Northwest Arctic, they’ll install solar microgrids, and battery storage, and heat pumps.

And what’s more, the Villages—I don’t know, is anybody here from the 11 Alaska Native Villages?

[Applause]

Yes? Yes! Alright! Thank you for coming all this way to Southern California for this! So great.

But it’s my understanding that the Villages will own their projects. So that means they can sell the power to local utilities, for roughly a million dollars a year in combined revenue.

And this is significant because for decades, so much of their budget has gone to importing diesel fuel, which runs about 10 bucks a gallon on average. And some households spend up to 60 percent of their income on energy.

Now, these Villages could offset families’ utility bills, and build community resilience funds, and even, as some are thinking, send young people to college.

Imagine! 

They could train those young people for careers in clean energy. [They] could find good-paying jobs. [They] could bring their skills back, to build new projects at home.

And they could start their own families, and raise them in the peace and quiet, the clean and clear Alaska air that comes with turning the diesel off.

[Pause]

These are just three of 17 beautiful stories of new promise and potential. And we’re so proud to help bring them to life.

And they’re just from one funding opportunity! 

We’ve still got so many open. I know Wahleah talked about a couple. DOE staff, I know, is in the Grand Ballroom here to answer any questions. Plus we’ve got the Tribal Resource Guidebook that Wahleah mentioned.

That, in case you didn’t write it down, is Energy.Gov/IndianEnergy/Guidebook. Energy.Gov/IndianEnergy/Guidebook. 

Lots of opportunities.

We’ve got our Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants, EECBG.

These are formula grants. You don’t have to compete for them, you just need to get applications in.

The Tribal awards are small, from $10-20,000, compared to maybe what it takes to apply. 

But you can team up. You can pool funds. If you don’t wanna manage a grant, you can submit a streamlined application, get your money’s worth in technical assistance or equipment rebates. 

So we just don’t want you to leave dollars on the table.

And then second, as Wahleah mentioned, there’s our Office of Indian Energy’s annual funding opportunity. And awards there can be up to $5 million each.

Third, we have our Loan Programs Office. 

You know the drill: ten times the available loan authority. No direct application fees. No need for a partial guarantee from a commercial lender.

And while it might take a little bit longer to get a conditional commitment, our loans are roughly $100 million or more.

And without getting over my skis, we’ll have more to say on this program very soon. So stay tuned on that.

Finally, we’ve got the President’s tax credits for clean energy deployment.

Historically, Tribes have not been able to take care—take advantage of these kinds of tax credits. 

But no more.

Not only are Tribes eligible…but Tribes are uniquely positioned to reap the benefits in full.

Here you get the credits back in cash!

So imagine this. Your Tribe maybe wants to build a community solar project.

So first, you can get 30 percent back if you pay workers prevailing wage and use registered apprentices. 

There’s another 10 percent—stacked on top of that! So 40 percent—if you source materials made in the U.S. So U.S.-made solar panels.

There’s another 10 percent, on top of that, if the project is in an energy community—like many of your Nations.

Another 10 percent, on top of that, if the project is on Tribal lands.

Another 10 percent, on top of that, if the project primarily benefits low-income households.

That is 70 percent off of your project costs. That’s amazing!

And that’s the maximum benefit—but woo! You guys, we’ve got to take advantage of this, right?

Many of these credits are uncapped. And they’re on the table for at least a decade. But nonetheless, we wanna act quickly! 

So we encourage you to think about that. And community solar projects are at the top of the list, I think, for many.

And I will also say you can invest your cash back in new projects over and over again.

In fact, you can seed a whole orchard of mighty oak trees, where future generations can rest in their shade.

The Great Oak Tree that I described, the Pechanga Oak Tree, has come to—[silences phone] oh, I think that was me.

…has come to embody, for the Pechanga Nation, the Pechanga Band, four characteristics: strength, wisdom, longevity, and determination. Those four.

May we all embody these characteristics.

The strength to move our people in new energy directions.

The wisdom to recognize that that new direction cannot damage our planet any longer, and must heal it.

The longevity to see it through, and to plant those saplings for future generations.

And the determination to stay the course, and make it happen.

Every generation gets one opportunity to set this kind of change in motion—if they get one at all.

This is ours.

Let’s seize it, together.

Thank you so much.