Assistant Secretary Tara Sweeney Announces $5.5 Million Available for IEED Energy Mineral Development Program Grants

WASHINGTON – Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Tara Katuk Sweeney announced today that approximately $5.5 million is available for Office of Indian Energy and Economic Development (IEED) Energy Mineral Development Program (EMDP) grants to help federally recognized American Indian tribes, Alaska Native entities and tribal energy resource development organizations identify, evaluate or assess the market for energy or mineral resources to be developed. EMDP will fund about 25 to 30 grants. The application deadline is December 2, 2020.

EMDP grants fund resource inventories and assessments, feasibility studies, or other pre-development studies related to energy and mineral resources. Assessments and studies funded through EMDP focus on biomass (woody and waste) for heat or electricity; transportation fuels; hydroelectric, solar or wind generation; geothermal heating or electricity production; district heating; other forms of distributed energy generation; oil, natural gas, geothermal and helium; and sand and gravel, coal, precious minerals and base minerals.

“Revenues from the development of energy and mineral resources are second only to gaming as a source of revenues for tribes,” Assistant Secretary Sweeney said. “The feasibility studies and resource assessments funded by EMDP are a necessary first step in developing those resources. I encourage all those interested to submit proposals for this important funding opportunity.”

IEED’s solicitation for EMDP funding and details on how to apply can be found in the Federal Register notice published on September 3 and at the Grants.Gov website.

EMDP is a competitive, discretionary program. To qualify for funding, applicants must submit a proposal and a supporting tribal resolution to IEED by December 2, 2020, using the standard Application for Federal Assistance Form SF-424 and the Project Narrative Attachment Form, both of which can be found at Grants.gov.

Applications will be evaluated chiefly on the basis of a project’s potential to attract financing, create jobs, generate revenues, and foster other long-term benefits to a Native community, as well as the clarity and completeness of the application’s scope of work, deliverables and budget.

IEED is administering this program through its Division of Energy and Mineral Development (DEMD).

Questions about EMDP may be addressed to: Ms. Winter Jojola-Talburt, Deputy Chief, Division of Energy and Mineral Development at 13922 Denver West Pkwy, Suite 200, Lakewood, CO 80401; by telephone at (720) 207-8063; or by email at winter.jojola-talburt@bia.gov.

Please visit the IEED website for more information about other IEED programs and services.

The Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs advises the Secretary of the Interior on Indian Affairs policy issues, communicates policy to and oversees the programs of the BIA and the BIE, provides leadership in consultations with tribes, and serves as the DOI official for intra- and inter-departmental coordination and liaison within the Executive Branch on Indian matters.