“Why Native American tribes struggle to tap billions in clean energy incentives”, 8 September 2023

The bipartisan infrastructure bill and Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) enacted over the last two years have created enormous opportunities to develop wind and solar projects on tribal lands, offering around $14 billion in subsidies and incentives….

[But] Tribes cannot access key incentives for larger clean energy projects until they secure an agreement to connect to the regional electrical grid. That is an expensive process that can take years and requires technical expertise that most tribes lack.

That could amount to a missed opportunity: Tribal lands account for around 6.5% of the country's renewable energy potential, according to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Yet Native American households lack access to electricity at far higher rates than the national average, according to the Energy Information Administration.

The Standing Rock Sioux tribe's development authority, called SAGE, proposed the 235MW wind farm three years ago. They named the project Anpetu Wi, which means "the beginning of a new day" in the Lakota language.

SAGE estimates the wind farm will bring in $210 million of revenue over 25 years from the sale of power to the regional grid, creating dozens of direct jobs and more indirectly over time as the tribe invests in new initiatives.

More money and jobs would help the tribe, which suffers from 50% unemployment and a 37% poverty rate, according to the Interior Department and Census data, driven in part by high electricity rates.

"Electricity cannot be a privilege. It’s a right and for us to have a truly just transition, it is essential that it be guided by Native people, for Native people,” [Smith] said.