Tribal Renewable Energy Workshop

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Indian Energy and the U.S. Department of the Interior hosted a Tribal Renewable Energy Workshop Sept. 7–8, 2016, at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colorado.

Representatives from Indian tribes, federal and state government agencies, nongovernmental organizations, and private industry gave presentations and led discussions on the burgeoning opportunity for tribes to benefit from renewable energy development on tribal lands, including:

State, national, and international developments driving changes in the renewable energy marketplace
Federal technical and financial assistance available to tribes interested in developing renewable energy
Changing market dynamics, policies, and incentives that support tribal investments in clean energy development
Tribal/private partnership opportunities
Tribal case studies and lessons learned.

View presentations below.

Day 1

Session	Topic	Presentations
Opening Remarks		Dr. Robin Newmark, Associate Lab Director, National Renewable Energy Laboratory Christopher Deschene, Director, Office of Indian Energy Miles Janssen, Senior Counselor to the Assistant Security of Indian Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior
Session 1: 9:00-10:30 a.m.	Opportunities Created by Recent Developments in Energy Policy, Economics, and Marketing State Renewable Portfolio Standards Federal Clean Power Plan Status; legal challenges; state, environmental and private sector perspectives Extension of Federal Tax Incentives What are they? How long are they currently available? How have they been used in project financing? How can tribes take advantage of them?	State Renewable Portfolio Standards Karen Douglas, California Energy Commission Lori Bird, NREL Clean Power Plan and Other Recent Legal Developments Ethan Shenkman, Deputy General Counsel, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Overview of Federal Tax Incentives Paul Schwabe, NREL - Tax Incentive Based Financing Options for Renewable Energy How Federal Tax Incentives are Used in Project Financing and How Tribes Can Take Advantage of Them Laura Abram, First Solar Derek A. Dyson, Counsel to Navajo Tribal Utility Authority - Financing Renewable Energy Development: Perspectives from the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority
Session 2: 11:00-11:30 a.m.	Corporate Commitments to Renewable Energy and Sustainability	Lori Bird, NREL
Session 3: 11:30 a.m. -12:00 p.m.	Changing Energy Sector What are utilities doing to adapt to changes and take advantage of opportunities? How are the economics of renewables changing? What are the current projections for renewables' share of future energy production?	David Hurlbut, NREL - The Changing Energy Sector: Challenges and Opportunities
Session 4: 1-2 p.m.	Tribal Case Studies and Lessons Learned	John Lewis, Gila River Indian Community Utility Authority Laura Abram, First Solar - Moapa Band of Paiutes Curt Shannon, Connation Energy, LLC - Pascua Yaqui Tribe Wayne Taylor, Hopi Tribe Derek Dyson, Duncan, Weinberg, Genzer & Pembroke
Session 5: 2-3 p.m.	Renewable Energy Technology Challenges and Opportunities	David Mooney, NREL - Renewable Energy Technology and Market Overview Allan Austin, Western Area Power Administration - Transmission & Distribution Overview
Session 6: 3:30-4:30 p.m.	NGO Perspectives and Support	Bruce Polkowsky, Environmental Defense Fund Stacy Tellinghuisen, Western Resources Advocates - Opportunities for Tribal Renewable Energy Development
Session 7: 4:30-5:00	Federal Technical and Funding Assistance Opportunities	Ben Machol, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 9 Tedd Buelow, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Rural Development Douglas C. MacCourt, Office of Indian Energy Stephen Manydeeds, U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs

Day 2

Session	Topic	Presentations
Session 1: 8:45-9:45 a.m.	Tribal/Private Partnership Opportunities	Laura Abram, First Solar Cory Blair, RES Americas Derek A. Dyson, Duncan, Weinberg, Genzer, & Pembroke Carolyn Stewart, NextEra Energy
Session 2: 9:45-10:45 a.m.	Concurrent Sessions	Opportunities at the Nexus of Energy and Water Michael Pulskamp, U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation Ardeth Barnhart, University of Arizona, Renewable Energy Network Tribal Energy Program Planning Curt Shannon, Conation Energy - Tribal Energy Program Planning: Laying the Groundwork for Success! Wayne Taylor, Hopi Tribe Carolyn Stewart, NextEra Energy
Session 3: 11 a.m.-12 p.m.	Concurrent Sessions	Finance: Securing Funding for Tribal Programs Derek A. Dyson, Counsel to Navajo Tribal Utility Authority - Financing Renewable Energy Development: Perspectives from the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority Lizana Pierce, Office of Indian Energy - Finance: Securing Funding for Tribal Programs David Johnson, U.S. Department of the Interior Energy Marketing and Distribution: Purchase and Wheeling Agreements Allan Austin, Western Area Power Administration David Hurlbut, NREL Open Discussion: Improving Coordination and Cooperation among Federal Agencies Tedd Buelow, U.S. Department of Agriculture Stephen Manydeeds, U.S. Department of the Interior Ben Machol, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Doug MacCourt, Office of Indian Energy