The Biden administration has announced a plan to allocate $366 million to fund 17 projects across the United States that expand access to renewable energy in Native American reservations and rural areas.
The projects will involve solar, battery storage, and hydropower initiatives in regions where electricity is expensive and unreliable.
Driving the news: This funding comes from the $1 trillion infrastructure law signed by President Joe Biden in 2021.
- According to the Department of Energy, around 20 percent of homes in the Navajo Nation do not have access to electricity, and nearly one third of homes across Native American reservations that have electricity have monthly outages.
- The projects will be negotiated with applicants before securing funding, according to federal officials.
- It will cover 20 states and 30 tribes, including $30 million for communities in the Sierra Nevada mountains.
- In addition to the clean energy projects, the Department of Energy has announced a $57 million initiative to provide solar power and battery storage for rural community health centers in the Southeast.
What they’re saying: U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said the announcement is historic.
- “This is the largest amount that the Department of Energy has awarded to tribes for energy projects,” Granholm said.
