Mar. 16, 2022

Latest News and Events for Indian Country

News

GRID Tribal Program Director Tim Willink Finds Joy in Expanding Career and Economic Opportunities in Indigenous Nations

Whether he’s out in the field leading projects as a construction manager or in the office managing the program side of GRID Alternatives’ tribal solar development work, Tim Willink enjoys opening doors to opportunity and impact. In our latest Indian Energy Champion blog, we talk with Tim about how his career path evolved, the advice he gives to tribal trainees, what motivates and inspires him, and what he’s looking forward to in 2022.

Events

March 29: DOE Consultation and Engagement with Tribal Leaders on the Infrastructure Investment in Jobs Act

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is offering a virtual consultation session for Tribal leaders and Alaska Native Corporations March 29 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern Time.

With the signing of the Infrastructure Investment in Jobs Act (IIJA) in November 2021, President Biden ushered in a new era of working with tribal, state, and local leaders to build back a better, stronger, and cleaner infrastructure across the country.

Information gathered in this virtual consultation session will guide the Energy Department in developing over 60 new programs. Implementing $62.5 billion in funding from IIJA, the largest investment in generations in our nation’s infrastructure, will require deep, ongoing partnership alongside tribal and Native Alaskan leaders, members of Congress, governors, mayors, local officials, and community members.

DOE’s website on Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Programs can help tribal leaders prepare for the consultation session. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Guidebook, prepared by the White House, may also be helpful. For more information, visit the DOE Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs Strengthening Tribal Consultation and Engagement with Tribal Leaders web page.

Tribal leaders may submit written comments prior to the consultation session at TribalConsultation@hq.doe.gov.

Comments will also be accepted after the consultation session until 5 p.m. Eastern Time Friday, April 8, 2022.

Register here.

March 30: Repurposing Fossil Energy Assets Workshop

Join a national workshop exploring strategies for and the many benefits of repurposing legacy fossil fuel infrastructure, including closed coal mines, coal power plants, and orphaned oil and gas wells.

Leveraging and transforming legacy fossil fuel infrastructure creates the opportunity for a skilled workforce to access new sources of high-quality jobs and for states and communities to increase tax revenues.

As clean energy, manufacturing, and other innovative companies grow, energy communities are an attractive option for locating new and expanding operations because they often offer:

• A skilled workforce with knowledge of industrial operations
• Entrenched community relationships
• Access to rail lines, ports, highways, and other distribution infrastructure
• Electrical interconnect equipment and direct grid connections
• Industrial land, facilities, and potentially even site and permitting licenses.

Sponsored by the Interagency Working Group on Coal and Power Plant Communities & Economic Revitalization, the half-day workshop will feature expertise on-site remediation and reclamation, worker training and upskilling of dislocated workers, and the broad range of options for capitalizing on existing fossil fuel infrastructure.

Register now.

April 5–6: Hydrogen in the “Hygh” North: Decarbonizing Fuels

Domestically and internationally, hydrogen is a hot topic. The potential to use hydrogen and hydrogen carriers (like ammonia) for energy storage, power generation, and transportation is driving increased interest and investment. Hosted by the Alaska Center for Energy and Power (ACEP), this webinar will address questions such as:

• What exactly is happening with hydrogen elsewhere in the nation and the world?
• What are the economic, policy, and technology drivers (and constraints) for its implementation in the Alaska context?
• Are there regional or scale considerations related to its adoption?
• Could Alaska someday export hydrogen as an energy commodity?

This is the third in a series of four half-day virtual workshops leading up to the Alaska Sustainable Energy Conference in Anchorage.

ACEP is hosting the conference May 24–26 to share ideas and information about Alaska’s energy future and the intersection of economic development, long-term sustainability, and energy independence.

Please stop by the DOE Office of Indian Energy’s booth and meet our Alaska-based staff and learn about available technical and financial assistance.

Register now for the preconference workshops and/or the conference.

Attend the third and final webinar in the ArcticX series for a virtual discussion on how to partner with the DOE in the Arctic on April 6, 2022, at 10 a.m. Alaska Daylight Time/2 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time.

Panel discussions led by DOE and national laboratory representatives will explore challenges and opportunities related to advancing business initiatives in the Arctic region. Speakers will discuss:

• How Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding can help meet rural Alaska’s unique needs
• How DOE’s loan, advanced research, and small business programs are advancing clean energy
• What factors to consider when moving clean energy technologies from the lab into the market.

Co-hosted by the DOE Office of Technology Transitions and Arctic Energy Office, the ArcticX series of events showcases U.S. leadership in energy innovation and commercialization. It also highlights the resourcefulness and resilience that define the traditionally underserved but strategically important Arctic region. The series will culminate with an in-person meeting in Alaska on May 23, 2022.

Learn more and register.

NTICC 2022 Call for Proposals—Apply by April 22

The National Tribal & Indigenous Climate Conference (NTICC) is now accepting proposals for the 2022 Conference. Hosted by the Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals as a as a hybrid remote and in-person event August 29–September 1, the NTICC will convene knowledge holders on climate change and resilience efforts with an emphasis on the intersection, inclusion, and honoring of traditional and Indigenous knowledges.

The planning team is calling for various types of proposals, including presentations, working groups, trainings, and climate conversations.

Learn more and apply.

Be sure to check the Office of Indian Energy website regularly to keep abreast of the many other upcoming events of relevance to tribal communities.

Regards, 
Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs
1000 Independence Ave. SW | Washington DC 20585

For more information on the Office of Indian Energy, visit our website.

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