Purchase will enable 185 buildings across 12 states to use 100% clean electricity.
Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs
August 2, 2024
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On Aug. 2, 2024, the Biden-Harris Administration announced the government’s first-ever purchase of carbon pollution-free electricity from a Tribal majority-owned business under the Indian Energy Purchase Preference (IEPP) provisions of the Energy Policy Act of 2005.
The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) purchase from Seneca Environmental Solutions will enable 185 buildings across 12 states to use 100% clean electricity, delivering on President Biden’s commitment to include Tribal enterprises in the clean energy economy and making progress toward the President’s goal of powering all federal operations with carbon pollution-free electricity by 2030.
Established by the Energy Policy Act of 2005, the IEPP allows agencies to give preference to Tribes when buying energy products or byproducts. After assuming office, President Biden reestablished the White House Council on Native American Affairs and directed it to work with federal agencies to implement the IEPP.
This procurement is a result of that work and provides a model for future procurements from Tribally-owned energy producing businesses. As part of this effort, GSA collaborated with the U.S. Department of Energy on a pilot program to increase federal agencies’ use of Tribal energy through their purchasing authorities.
“For 20 years the Indian Energy Preference was dormant due to government red tape and bureaucracy. This announcement sets up a new partnership model between Tribal energy businesses and the federal government in achieving our country’s clean energy goals and solving the climate crisis,” said Wahleah Johns, Director of the Office of Indian Energy at the U.S. Department of Energy. “I look forward to seeing the Preference used more and Tribes leading the way in clean energy development. And I applaud the interagency collaboration with GSA, DOE’s Federal Energy Management Program, DoD and the White House Council on Native American Affairs that made this possible.”
Read the full GSA press release and learn more about the Indian Energy Purchase Preference.