Federal funds to empower Nevada tribes as climate challenges mount

Recent federal investments in climate resilience for Indigenous communities in Nevada have included funds to modernize tribal power grids against wildfires, build water storage for people reliant on well water and bring electricity to homes.

U.S. Rep. Steven Horsford, D-Nev., and Matthew Dannenberg, a senior tribal liaison for the U.S. Department of Energy, gave a glimpse Monday into infrastructure upgrades that will help Nevada’s tribal nations better cope with climate change.

Nevada tribal communities have access to more than $813 million between the Inflation Reduction Act, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the American Rescue Plan, all of which were passed by Congress and signed into law during the Biden-Harris administration.

“Investing in Nevada tribes is important for us to ensure sustainable development and environmental justice,” Horsford said during a news conference Monday highlighting the initiatives’ momentum. “Native communities have faced chronic underinvestment for generations, and climate impacts — including drought, wildfire, rising sea levels, extreme weather events — have all exacerbated preexisting challenges and inequalities for those in Native communities.”

Dannenberg, a member of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa of Wisconsin, said the significant investments in clean energy infrastructure for Indigenous communities are a first in American history.

For Nevada, he said, this includes:

• $5.5 million for home electrification and appliance rebate program, which is just getting started. This initiative, to make homes more energy-efficient, is worth about $14,000 per household.
• $700 million, shared with tribes in Arizona and California, for long-term drought and climate resilience in the Colorado River’s Lower Basin.
• $10 million to modernize tribal power grids in the face of destructive wildfires.
• $2.4 million for the Walker River Paiute Tribe to build a 410-gallon water storage tank on the reservation, which depends solely on wells.

The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 has benefited tribal communities in many ways, they explained.

These include climate resilience, which help tribes mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change; energy development, which allows tribes to bring electricity to homes without it, a loan guarantee program for tribes for energy-related projects, and home efficiency upgrades; and environmental justice, as part of the goal to eliminate about a billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.

Mathilda Guerrero, government relations director for Native Voters Alliance Nevada, said the Biden administration’s overall Clean Energy Plan — a strategy that aims for 100% clean energy and net-zero emissions by 2050 — recognizes Indigenous voices and sovereignty. The alliance aims to build political strength within Indigenous communities.

“There is a long road ahead in order to ensure that our tribal nations have access to the necessary resources they need. … Our friends at the Walker River Paiute Tribe and Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe agree that this investment is just one step forward to true equality and liberation,” she said, referencing two Northern Nevada tribes that have received specific grants.

Horsford said the investments were also about economic and job development and public health. He emphasized the Justice40 Initiative, a commitment to ensure that 40% of the overall benefits from federal climate, clean energy, affordable and sustainable housing flow to disadvantaged communities that include tribal lands.

“This initiative is a step toward rectifying historical injustices and ensuring equitable distribution of the funding that I’ve helped to secure,” Horsford said.

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