SANDIA PUEBLO, N.M. (AP) — American Indian leaders from across the U.S. are pointing to both federal and tribal politics and bureaucracy as some of the reasons energy development has been so difficult in Indian Country.
They’re meeting in Albuquerque this week to talk about overcoming hurdles and developing natural resources, from oil and natural gas to renewable sources.
Navajo Nation President Ben Shelly says his tribe is working on modernizing its energy and environmental codes to better position the tribe for new development opportunities.
Shelly on Tuesday urged tribal leaders to ban together and take advantage of the opportunities they have to become energy independent and bring in revenues for their tribes.
Experts say tribal lands make up about 5 percent of the land mass in the U.S. but contain as much as one-fifth of the nation’s energy resources.
