In 2005, Congress created a federal program to grow energy projects in Indian Country, where the build-out of electricity lags significantly behind the national average.
Nearly 17 years later, the Tribal Energy Loan Guarantee Program designed to serve as a financial safety net for tribes’ energy investments has yet to back a single project.
Democrats want to allocate $200 million for the program and raise the cap on total loan guarantees from $2 billion to $20 billion as part of the sweeping climate change and social spending bill known as the Build Back Better plan. But the legislation – which is stalled in the Senate – does not directly mention a key barrier for tribal participation in the program: upfront costs for tribes.
