State-Tribal Collaboration: Types of Tribal Lands
This is 1 of 6 fact sheets for the State/Tribal Collaboration project. This one is on types of Tribal Lands.
29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
SEARCH · Search NASA
Results for “tribal”
Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.
Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.
State-Tribal Collaboration: Tribal Right to Create Laws
One of 6 fact sheets for the State/Tribal Collaboration project. This is on the topic of Tribal Right to Create Laws.
29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
State-Tribal Collaboration: State Role in Tribal Legal Framework
This is one of six fact sheets for the State/Tribal Collaboration project for the Office of Policy. This fact sheet addressed the State's Role in Tribal Legal Framework.
29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
State-Tribal Collaboration: How Tribal Entities Govern Business and Commerce
This is one of 6 fact sheets on the State/Tribal Collaboration Project for the Office of Policy. This fact sheet is on how Tribal entities govern.
29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
State-Tribal Collaboration on Energy 101 [Slides]
For states interested in working with Tribal Nations on energy projects, it is important to understand Tribal sovereignty and what this means for a collaborative relationship. This presentation will explain how Tribal sovereignty was established, what that means for energy sovereignty, and how states can use this understanding to better engage with Tribal Nations.
29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
Unalakleet Microgrid Optimization for Tribal Community Resilience
The Unalakleet Microgrid Optimization Project aimed to strengthen the reliability and efficiency of the isolated electric power system that serves the Tribal community of Unalakleet, Alaska. The community relies entirely on a local wind-diesel microgrid, consisting of four 475 kW diesel generators and six 100 kW wind turbines, to provide electricity to approximately 745 residents and Tribal facilities. Because Unalakleet is not on a road system and is located nearly 400 miles from the nearest major power grid, maintaining a resilient and efficient local energy system is critical. The scope of this project included upgrading a portion of the transmission line between the wind farm and the power plant to increase voltage and reduce line losses, along with modernizing the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system to improve monitoring, control, and data management of the power system. These upgrades were designed to increase wind energy utilization, reduce diesel fuel consumption by tens of thousands of gallons annually, and improve overall grid stability. By allowing more of the community’s electricity to be supplied by local renewable wind resources, the project was designed to lower operating costs, reduce dependence on imported fuel, and strengthen the long-term resilience of the power system. These improvements represent an important step toward the community’s long-term energy vision of expanding renewable generation, incorporating energy storage, and eventually achieving “diesels-off” operation, where essential Tribal loads are powered primarily by local renewable resources.
17 WIND ENERGY↗
Northern Great Plains Disasters: Using Earth Observations to Enhance Flood Monitoring on Tribal Lands in the Northern Great Plains
In 2019, the Great Plains experienced unprecedented catastrophic flooding. Large flood events are predicted to increase in frequency and severity, posing risks to communities in this region, particularly Tribal Nations. We used data from Sentinel-1 C-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (C-SAR), imagery from the Sentinel-2 MultiSpectral Instrument (MSI), and digital elevation models (DEMs) from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) within Google Earth Engine to map historical floods in the region beginning in 2014 with particular attention to the Rosebud Sioux Reservation and the tribal lands of other Great Plains Tribal Water Alliance members. This historical mapping used C-SAR for a combined method approach with a Z-score algorithm in addition to an index for flooded short vegetation. We also developed a flood risk map by weighting different flood predictor variables according to flood risk literature. These variables included soil drainage from the Soil Survey Geographic Database (SSURGO); elevation, slope, and Topographic Wetness Index (TWI) derived from digital elevation models; precipitation from Climate Hazards Group InfraRed Precipitation with Station data (CHIRPS); land cover from the National Land Cover Database (NLDC); and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) derived from Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI). From the flood extent and risk maps, we identified widespread flooding in short vegetation (including cropland) and noted flood susceptibility in regions exhibiting high social vulnerability and low community resilience (FEMA indices). We created an ArcGIS Online StoryMap to share project background, results, and data. Additionally, we provided a written tutorial so partners may replicate the flood mapping for future flood events.
Anna Ballasiotes↗
Tribal Engagement in Transmission Planning
The purpose of this white paper is to provide Tribes with information that (a) helps assess whether transmission access is important for their energy goals, and (b) provides guidance on how to engage in transmission planning, if and when doing so would help the Tribe achieve its energy goals. DOE's Office of Indian Energy notes that "Indian Country contains vast untapped energy resources" (OIE 2023). Individual tribes express a wide array of energy needs and goals, ranging from simple access to basic electricity service and energy efficiency tools, to the development of utility-scale generating plants. Access to transmission is a key part of this multifaceted tribal energy picture. About 2.3 percent of the nation's transmission miles are on tribal lands (OIE 2023). Even within that slice, however, circumstances vary widely. Much of that transmission is for local network delivery (138kV or less). There are some large-capacity 500kV lines, but in many cases the Tribe has limited access to them even when they run across the reservation. Some of the Tribes with the largest land area have little transmission, and some such as Navajo Nation and Hopi Tribe have many homes with no access to electricity. This white paper begins with a high-level summary of transmission issues that can affect a Tribe's energy goals. The discussion includes findings from major transmission-related studies, including the 2023 National Transmission Needs Study (GDO 2023). It then discusses strategies that could help a Tribe safeguard its interests when those interests intersect transmission infrastructure planning.
29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
State, Local, and Tribal Program
NLR's State, Local, and Tribal Program delivers customized, data-driven support that strengthens local energy systems - expanding access to America's abundant energy resources, reducing costs, and supporting energy reliability across the country. NLR's world-class staff use a wide variety of cutting-edge energy tools and capabilities to deliver robust modeling, validation, and deployment support to hundreds of communities annually.
29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
Transmission for Tribal Nations
A presentation about the Tribal Nation Transmission Program and an overview of transmission generally for attendees of the Seminole Annual Conference.
24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
State-Tribal Collaboration: Energy 101
Fact sheet on Tribal Sovereignty.
29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
Solar and Battery Storage at the Lac du Flambeau Fish Hatchery: Example REopt® Results for a Tribal Application [Slides]
This slide deck demonstrates how REopt can be used with a real-life example, the Lac du Flambeau fish hatchery in Lac du Flambeau, Wisconsin. It serves as a guide for Tribal staff who want to use the REopt platform to model a project.
14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
State-Tribal Collaboration: Utility Programs
This is one of 6 fact sheets for the State/Tribal Collaboration project for Office of Policy. This fact sheets discusses low-income utility programs that can benefit Tribes.
29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
Beyond money: A social burden framework to enhance resilience valuation for tribal communities in the United States
Not Available
29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗
TASTI-GRID: An Overview of Minnesota's County and Tribal Electric Grid Resilience
This document provides a concise overview of the analytical capabilities of the TASTI-GRID team. Utilizing additional data and resources, it synthesizes platform insights to present a distinct perspective on investing in grid resilience throughout Mississippi. This document is not intended to influence or direct state- level decisions related to investments in grid resilience and reliability. TASTI-GRID should not be used for real-time monitoring, supporting the ESF #12 emergency response functions, or predicting the restoration times for outages.
24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
Northern Great Plains Disasters: Using Earth Observations and Google Earth Engine to Enhance Flood Monitoring on Tribal Lands in the Northern Great Plains
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Anna Ballasiotes↗
Carbon Monitoring and Above Ground Biomass Trends: Anchor Forest Opportunities for Tribal, Private and Federal Relationships
There are more than 300 million hectares of forested land whithin the conterminious United States essential to sustaining the myriad social/cultural, economic, and ecologic benefits society enjoys from these lands. Nationwide, millions of forested hectares, both private and public, are disappearing functionally and physically throguh serve wildfire fire and land coversion. On many of these lands, management, centered on fire supression, has led to reductions in forest resilience to wildfire. Lands, overstocked with accumulated fuel and faced with a changing climate, are expected to continue this legacy of fire and deteriorating health. A paradigm shift is needed to face the challenges confronting forests and enhance collaborative efforts across multiple foret ownerships. Our ability to leverage emerging technologies and pair them with the knowledge of indigenous peoples presents new opportunities for success. The objectives of this study were to 1) assess the Anchor Forest concept as a framework to leverage collaborative motivations and leadership by indigenous peoples (Tribes) in eastern Washington State to improve forest ecosystem health across legal and political boundaries, 'cross-boundary' management, and 2) demonstrate how the NASA carbon monitoring system (CMS) mapping of products of regional forestland above ground biomass (AGB) density and temporal trends can provide information that supports decisionmakers in their efforts to collaboratively approach improving forest health conditions through management activities.
Tribes; Anchor Forests; Forest Resilience; Collabo↗
Electronic Waste (E-Waste) Recycling: Barriers and Opportunities for State, Local, and Tribal Governments
Electronic waste, or e-waste, encompasses end-of-life electrical and electronic equipment, including computers, monitors, televisions, printers, cell phones, household appliances with electronic components, and small consumer devices containing batteries or circuitry. E-waste is one of the fastest-growing components of the U.S. waste stream, with nearly 8 million tons generated in 2022. E-waste presents two related public-interest considerations. First, e-waste contains economically and strategically important materials: base metals (copper, aluminum, iron, steel), precious metals (gold, silver, platinum group metals), and critical materials such as rare earth elements, gallium, and indium that appear on the U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) 2025 List of Critical Minerals. Second, many electronic devices contain hazardous constituents - including lead, mercury, cadmium, and brominated flame retardants - as well as rechargeable batteries that can pose fire risks during handling. Effective management of these constituents helps protect workers, communities, and the environment. In the United States, it is estimated that less than 20% of e-waste is formally collected and recycled, leaving over 6 million tons landfilled or otherwise unrecovered. This fact sheet provides state and local decision-makers an overview of (1) e-waste composition and recoverable materials, (2) technology pathways used to recover those materials, and (3) examples of operational and partnership structures used to provide e-waste recycling capacity in the United States. It is intended to complement existing collection-program guidance available through U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other sources.
29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY↗