State-Tribal Energy Collaboration

NREL and subject matter experts are partnering to increase collaboration between state governments and Tribal Nations to advance Tribal energy projects and goals.

As sovereign nations with a government-to-government relationship with the U.S. federal government as well as states, Tribes have successfully collaborated with states to achieve self-determined Tribal energy goals.

Funded by the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Policy, this project aims to engage interested parties and address barriers to state-Tribal collaboration through resources for state energy offices, regulators, utilities, Tribes, and other partners.

Resources

The resources below provide insights for state energy offices, regulators, and utilities on how to engage with Tribes and build constructive, lasting relationships to support Tribal energy goals and projects.

Topics covered include:

• Understanding Tribal sovereignty and how it impacts relationships with states
• Types of Tribal entities and governance structures
• Types of Tribal lands and implications for project siting
• Best practices on collaboration.

Workshops

NREL is hosting two in-person workshops to support states interested in improving state-Tribal collaboration on energy projects. The same topics will be covered at both workshops and the agenda will run for the whole day on the first day and half a day on the second day. Lunch will be on your own. We have a limited number of first-come, first-serve travel stipends for state government staff.

Two iterations of the workshop will be held:

• Oct. 21–22, 2025, at NREL’s campus in Golden, Colorado (with an optional NREL tour)
• Nov. 5–6, 2025, at NREL’s Washington, D.C. office 

Register to attend one of the workshops.

Tribal Sovereignty

Learn more about Tribal sovereignty and its connection to energy projects and challenges on Tribal lands in What is Tribal Sovereignty?, NREL Presentation (2025).

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