Treasury Finalizes Tribal Tax Rules, Unlocking Clean Energy Investment and Strengthening Tribal Economic Sovereignty
The Alliance for Tribal Clean Energy welcomes the U.S. Department of the Treasury and Internal Revenue Service’s issuance of two landmark sets of final regulations. One clarifies the federal tax status of entities wholly owned by Tribal governments, and the other finalizes regulations under the Tribal General Welfare Exclusion Act of 2014 (Section 139E). Together, these rules reduce regulatory uncertainty, expand pathways for Tribal-led clean energy development and strengthen Tribal economic sovereignty.
Tribal nations regroup after loss of federal funding for clean energy
Tribal nations looking to build clean energy projects are exploring new funding pathways after the Trump administration’s cuts to clean energy grants like Solar for All, which earmarked more than $500 million for solar development on tribal lands.
The Tribal Renewable Energy Coalition, an organization of 14 tribes which received a grant for more than $135 million in now-cancelled Solar for All funding, is continuing to use the solar project plans it developed but will seek funding sources like loans and philanthropy, Indigenized Energy CEO Cody Two Bears said during a November press call.
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: Tribes search for alternatives as federal clean energy funding vanishes
Cody Two-Bears spent more than $1 million training Native workers for clean energy jobs. Then the jobs disappeared.
On Indigenous Peoples’ Day, a Call to Action: ‘Pathways to Trust’ Offers Concrete Way to Honor Tribes
The Alliance for Tribal Clean Energy (Alliance) and Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) today announced Pathways to Trust: A Learning Journey Toward Equitable Tribal Partnerships℠. In observance of Indigenous Peoples’ Day, the launch turns recognition into practice, providing step-by-step tools for respectful, mutually beneficial work with sovereign Tribal Nations.
The Trump administration is stonewalling Tribal clean energy projects
Dr. Crystal Miller, who leads policy and government relations for the Alliance for Tribal Clean Energy, said that from a Tribal perspective, the memo as written was a “re-institutionalization of paternalism over Tribal Nations.”
“This additional review layer makes it even harder for Tribes to meet timelines for federal grants, and projects on Tribal lands often already require right of ways, leases, and even cultural resource reviews, all of which are directly named in the memo,” Miller said.
Tribal nations scramble to save clean energy projects as Federal support vanishes
As federal programs are frozen or eliminated, Indigenous communities are seeking new ways to fund and finish urgently needed renewable energy plans. According to the Alliance for Tribal Clean Energy, at least 100 tribes they have worked with have received funds from federal agencies and…
Tribes forced to find new clean energy paths
President Donald Trump’s earlier executive orders and the comprehensive spending bill he just signed mark the end of dozens of tribal green energy initiatives. They mark a major shift in direction away from solar, wind, and other renewable energy sources championed during the Biden administration. Those projects aimed at energy sovereignty that can’t find new, private-sector funds will halt or scale back their original scope.
And, an Alaska tribal village is hoping a transition away from oil-fueled energy will both save money and help the environment.
Clean energy projects on tribal lands were booming. Then…
Crystal Miller, a member of the Walker River Paiute Tribe, heads government affairs and policy at the Alliance for Tribal Clean Energy, underlined the existential outcomes for tribal communities. “It is extremely life or death if you’re talking about clean energy projects, in particular solar, which provide energy to homes, provide heat to homes that wouldn’t have it without because they don’t have lines run to their community,” she said.
Statement by the Alliance for Tribal Clean Energy on the Passage of H.R. 1
As Congress advances H.R. 1, Tribal Nations face setbacks to clean energy progress and economic opportunity. The bill strips away critical support, but Tribes remain resilient and determined to build a sustainable, sovereign future. Despite these challenges, Native communities are committed to clean energy, economic self-determination, and a better future for all.
Coalition of Tribes Urge Senators to VOTE YES
On Monday evening, the Alliance for Tribal Clean Energy led a national coalition of Tribal Nations and organizations in calling on the U.S. Senate to support Senator Catherine Cortez Masto’s (D-NV) Amendment 2816, which would preserve essential funding for the Tribal Energy Loan Guarantee Program (TELGP).