Green or not, US energy future depends on Native nations

Leaders of Native nations and representatives of the United States have signed many treaties over the centuries, including the 1851 Treaty of Traverse des Sioux. ullstein bild via Getty Images

The Trump administration’s drive to increase domestic production of fossil fuels and mining of key minerals likely cannot be accomplished without a key constituency: Native nations.

The U.S. has 374 treaties with 574 governments of sovereign nations inside the United States’ borders, governing 2.5% of the country’s territory, predominantly west of the Mississippi.