WASHINGTON, D.C. – Assistant Secretary–Indian Affairs Larry Echo Hawk today announced that Indian Affairs Office of Indian Energy and Economic Development (IEED) and the Bureau of Indian Affairs Office of Trust Services, working in partnership with Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) are planning to hold a series of tribal energy transmission system planning workshops for tribal leaders and tribal resource managers.
“Tribal lands have some of the highest renewable and conventional energy resources potential in our country,” Echo Hawk said. “These workshops will help tribal leaders and tribal resource managers develop energy transmission corridors so that tribes can be a major player in building the twenty-first century power transmission grid.”
Each two-day workshop will provide information and guidance on planning and developing corridors for energy transmission system projects on tribal lands, including both electricity transmission and pipeline projects. The workshops also will provide an overview of the multiple steps involved in transmission projects, guidance on how to address environmental and siting issues, and information about resources available to tribes to assist in developing designated corridors for such projects.
The workshops are designed to assist tribal leaders, staff of tribal resource management departments, and federal employees who work with tribes. Some of the specific workshop elements include:
- Sessions on transmission system planning and interconnection requirements presented by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Western Area Power Administration.
- Detailed guidance for tribes presented by ANL on identifying and designating the most appropriate corridors for electric transmission lines and oil and gas pipelines.
- Access to representatives from the IEED and the BIA’s Office of Trust Services and Indian Affairs.
- Presentations about the Energy Department’s Tribal Energy Program and Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability.
- An overview of the role of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).
“It is important that tribes be an integral part in one of the administration’s top energy priorities to build a cleaner, safer, and more efficient national energy grid,” said Echo Hawk. “These workshops are an example of Indian Affairs’ commitment and support of the administration’s energy policy.”
The first workshop will be held January 27-28, 2010, at the Albuquerque Marriott, 2101 Louisiana Blvd., N.E., Albuquerque, N.M. Additional workshops will be held:
- Phoenix, Ariz. – March 3-4, 2010
- Portland, Ore. – April 13-14, 2010
- Bismarck, N.D. – May 19-20, 2010
Space is limited to 30 participants. To pre-register for the workshops, contact Rosalyn Worthan at (202) 208-3567 or rosalyn.worthan@bia.gov. The alternate contact person is Kevin Tennyson at (202) 513-0815 or kevin.tennyson@bia.gov.
The Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs oversees the Office of Indian Energy and Economic Development, whose mission is to foster stronger American Indian and Alaska Native communities by helping federally recognized tribes with employment and workforce training programs; helping tribes develop their renewable and non-renewable energy and mineral resources; and increasing access to capital for tribal and individual American Indian- and Alaska Native-owned businesses. For more information about IEED programs and services, visit http://www.indianaffairs.gov/WhoWeAre/AS-IA/IEED/index.htm.
