Tribal-State Collaboration on Sustainability and Solar Development: A Case Study of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe

When it comes to developing renewable energy projects, the complicated relationship between Tribes and state governments can pose a barrier. 

Tribal and State governments have a unique and often misunderstood relationship. Tribal Governments are sovereign – meaning that they have an inherent right to govern themselves and make decisions affecting the health and wellbeing of their people. They have a government-to-government relationship with the US Federal Government, which roughly means that Tribes are to be accorded the same respect and autonomy as other recognized governments that the United States deals with. If a decision by the US government would affect a Tribe, the US is obligated to coordinate with the Tribe and consult through a formalized process such as consultations. Tribal governments are considered “parallel” to the US Government. Due in part to a long and troubled history of misunderstanding and jurisdictional grievances, Tribes have a comparatively limited track record of collaborating with individual US States. 

The Clean Energy States Alliance (CESA) has published a new case study exploring the Tribal-State relationship through the experiences of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, which began developing its Sustainability Program in 2014. They have been a leader in Minnesota and in the nation with developing solar on Tribal Lands to benefit low-income residents. The case study includes recommendations for how other Tribes and States can work together collaboratively and effectively. 

In this CESA webinar, Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe’s Sustainability Coordinator Eugene Strowbridge provided an overview of this case study. 

This case study and webinar were developed as part of CESA’s Solar with Justice: Connecting States and Communities project. The Solar with Justice project aims to bring together state energy agencies (SEAs) and community-based organizations (CBOs) developing solar for environmental justice communities to create opportunities for dialogue and collaboration. This case study is one of six case studies published by CESA under the Solar with Justice project, highlighting models of collaboration between CBOs and SEAs on solar for environmental justice communities.

This case study is based upon work supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) under the Solar Energy Technologies Office Award Number DE-EE0009360.