Recently, both the executive and legislative branches of the federal government have been showing a renewed interest in and support for the production of energy on Indian lands.
On April 1, 2011, the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Indian and Alaska Native Affairs will hold a hearing on Tribal Energy Development Resources and Related Jobs. The Subcommittee is chaired by Representative Don Young (R-AK), who is a strong supporter of energy development and has indicated that Indian energy development would be one of his priorities as Subcommittee Chair.
The Department of Energy’s (DOE) recently established the Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs continues to hold Tribal Leader Roundtables on the topic of tribal energy-related policy and programs and will be holding a Tribal Summit on May 5, 2011 in Washington, DC. The invitation with further information is attached. The Roundtables leading up to the Summit are being held in a variety of locations at the following dates:
| DATE | LOCATION |
| March 23 | Pala Reservation, California (at NAFOA) |
| March 30 | Washington, D.C. (DOE Headquarters) |
| April 5 | Phoenix, Arizona |
| April 6 | Albuquerque, New Mexico |
| April 12 | Quinault Reservation, Washington (at ATNI) |
| April 14 | Tulsa, Oklahoma |
| April 14 | Anchorage, Alaska |
Further information may be found at: http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/tribalenergy/events.cfm
We also note that during the Second Annual Tribal White House Summit held in December 2010, the President announced the appointment of Tracy LeBeau as the Director of the Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs. The Office was authorized pursuant to the 2005 Energy Policy Act. The Office is a full-fledged independent Office and is no longer housed within the Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs.
Please let us know if we may provide additional information regarding developments in the federal government’s Indian Energy policy.
