14 DAY TRIAL // Yesterday, the US Energy Department announced that American Indian and Alaska Native tribes in the country were to receive over $7 million (€5.2 million), which was to be spent on clean energy projects.
Since the year 2002, the Energy Department has invested a total of $42 million (€31.2 million) in environmentally-friendly projects intended to benefit tribal communities.
In the press release on the matter, the Energy Department details that these latest investments in clean tribal energy projects are expected to yield several benefits.
First off, the tribal communities that are to receive said sum of money will strengthen their energy security and improve on their ecological footprint. Furthermore, the projects will translate into the creation of new jobs and business opportunities.
“American Indian and Alaska Native tribes host a wide range of untapped energy resources that can help build a sustainable energy future for their local communities,” Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz said in a statement.
“Responsible development of these clean energy resources will help cut energy waste and fight the harmful effects of carbon pollution – strengthening energy security of Tribal nations throughout the country,” he went on to argue.
The Energy Department further explains that these investments in tribal clean energy projects are part and parcel of the Obama Administration's plans to push for sustainability and help the nation be better prepared to deal with climate change and global warming.
To this end, President Obama has also set up the Task Force on Climate Preparedness and Resilience, whose job is to promote climate-resilient investments.
The $7 million are to be split between nine tribal clean energy projects.
The beneficiaries are as follows: Coeur d'Alene Tribe (Plummer, Idaho), Gwichyaa Zhee Gwich’in Tribal Government (Fort Yukon, Alaska), Forest County Potawatomi Community (Milwaukee, Wis.), Menominee Tribal Enterprises (Neopit, Wis.), Seneca Nation of Indians (Irving, N.Y.), Southern Ute Indian Tribe Growth Fund (Ignacio, Colo.), Tonto Apache Tribe (Payson, Ariz.), White Earth Reservation Tribal Council (White Earth, Minn.) and Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska (Winnebago, Neb.).