What's at stake:

Right now, New York State is not doing enough to support Indigenous energy sovereignty. But we have the opportunity to change that.

In the coming months, there are decisions that state energy agencies will make that could help establish Tribal Energy Development Organizations (TEDOs) in New York, which would allow for multi-Nation ownership of large scale renewable energy projects. This is an opportunity to support Indigenous Nations to become leaders in utility-scale clean energy for the benefit of the planet and all life on it. 

Send a message to Governor Hochul and the heads of NYSERDA, the New York Power Authority, and the New York Green Bank urging them to prioritize, finance, and partner with Indigenous-led energy projects. 

The message you'll send:

I write to you as a resident of New York who supports the advancement of a just and equitable clean energy economy in our state. I believe that New York must do more to accelerate and expand efforts to support clean energy projects that create equity partnerships with Indigenous Nations and other Disadvantaged Communities (DACs). The State should take concrete actions to specifically support Indigenous Nations’ energy sovereignty and economic development goals, including Nations’ efforts to develop large-scale renewable energy projects through Tribal Energy Development Organizations. This would help NYS achieve its renewable energy goals and abide by the requirements in our Climate Law to direct a minimum of 40% of benefits from clean energy projects to Disadvantaged Communities.

In order to support this, I call for the following:

• For the New York Power Authority (NYPA) to accelerate the inclusion of Indigenous-owned energy projects in the 2026 Strategic Plan and to execute binding agreements with Indigenous developers within the next few months. Additionally, NYPA should earmark 10% of its workforce development grant funding for Indigenous Nations in New York. This would ensure NYPA is meeting its responsibilities under its DAC investment mandate and supporting benefits to local economies, since Nations are based here in NYS, unlike other developers.
• For the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and the NY Green Bank (NYGB) to open a Tribal Energy Direct Pay Bridge Loan facility, with preferred and concessionary loan terms and conditions for Indigenous-led energy projects which qualify for Federal Clean Energy Infrastructure Tax Credits. NYSERDA should also provide explicit proposal evaluation scoring preferences in any relevant distributed energy and large-scale solicitations for projects that include meaningful Indigenous and DAC equity ownership participation in all current and future NYSERDA clean energy infrastructure-related procurements and energy program contracts. For Nations, this could be done by revising NYSERDA’s renewable energy solicitations to include a procurement preference for Nation-owned energy projects based on the federal government’s procurement language per the Energy Policy Act of 2005.
• Finally, NYSERDA and NYGB should establish a dedicated Indigenous Nation Equity program that provides recoverable grants, low-interest loans, credit support, and equity participation funding to enable Nations to acquire ownership interests in utility-scale renewable energy projects. The Bank should look to other successful Green Bank models, like in Connecticut, to support investments in DACs and to meet environmental justice goals. The Bank should alter its approach to take on more risk to support new innovative projects coming into the market, like Nation-owned energy projects. This would be in alignment with Public Service Commission Order 236, published earlier this year, which discusses the modification of NYGB to enforce the 40% DAC benefits mandate, requiring the Bank to more directly comply with the mandate.

Governor Kathy Hochul can support these efforts by directing NYPA to develop an Indigenous Nation ownership partnership program and accelerate efforts to acquire, co-own, or provide capital support for renewable energy projects that include meaningful Nation ownership participation.

New York State has an obligation to support Nations’ energy priorities on a government-to-government level, especially given the lack of funding from the federal government. This is the time for New York State to step in to play a unique role in building a just, equitable renewable energy economy.

Sincerely,

YOUR NAME