Clearing the Way for a Native Opportunity in America’s “Sputnik Moment”

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Clearing the Way for a Native Opportunity in America’s “Sputnik Moment”

The Department of Energy estimates that wind power from tribal lands could satisfy 14
percent of total U.S. electricity demand.

By Van Jones, Bracken Hendricks, Jorge Madrid

In his remarks at this week’s State of the Union, President Obama called for another ”Sputnik moment,” in which the country would unleash a wave of innovation that creates new industries and millions of new jobs. The plan the president laid out led boldly with the deployment of smart new infrastructure and clean technology that will break our dependence on imported oil while creating jobs and building businesses in our hardest hit American communities.

Today, the National Congress of American Indians delivers their response to the State of the Union, with a report on the state of Indian affairs. The response will highlight numerous issues crucial to Native American tribes, and outline a program for their sovereign nations to participate in this larger vision of investment and economic renewal. Tribal economies have been among the most deeply impacted by the broader economic downturn, and the president’s goals have special resonance to these communities. Critical among the strategies the NCAI is proposing is the commitment to pursue greater economic self-sufficiency and reduce crippling tribal unemployment, as well as a “concerted effort to unleash the potential of Indian energy resources throughout the nation.”

The goals both President Obama and the leaders of the tribal nations have put forth are complementary and mutually beneficial, and deserve special consideration as the nation comes together across regions and party lines to take on the next phase of our economic recovery.

Tribal nations need basic access to jobs, economic opportunity, and even electricity. More than 14 percent of American Indian households in reservations do not have electricity access, and energy on reservations can cost as much as 10 percent above the national average due to a lack of adequate transmission lines. Bitter winters force many families in Indian reservations of the American West to spend up to 70 percent of their total income to heat their homes. Poverty rates on Indian country hover between 27 and 37 percent, and unemployment is as high as 48 percent in some tribes. Clean energy deployment in Indian country can help address many of these woes.

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