Indian Country is on the verge of a clean-energy surge, powered by $2 billion in new funding to expand Native access to renewable technology and build new paths for tribal workforce development.
Each program under the GGRF is designed to increase Indigenous access to renewable energy. While most of the funding will be provided through loan-financing programs, which have historically gone underutilized by tribal governments, there is potential for significant impact.
Tribal Business News spoke with five leaders who are set to play pivotal roles in transforming clean energy finance across Indian Country, including NCN CEO Pete Upton.
With CCIA money in hand, the Native CDFI Network can help close an “infrastructure gap” in Indian energy, Upton says.
“We’re bringing money into these communities that would not have been there otherwise,” Upton said. “At the end of the day, having access to clean energy is about the dollars – you need the dollars to make things happen, and I think we’re going to be bringing dollars that are going to make us more energy independent, climate resilient, and self-sufficient.”
Read more from Tribal Business News here.