Navajo to participate in tribal energy conference Gallup Independent June 7, 2013 By Kathy Helms Diné Bureau navajo1@gallupindependent ALBUQUERQUE — Navajo Nation President Ben Shelly will be among tribal leaders participating in a roundtable discussion Tuesday on economic and energy challenges and opportunities for Indian Country as part of a Developing Tribal Energy Resources and Economies Conference at Sandia Resort and Casino Hotel. Navajo Nation Gaming Enterprise CEO Derrick Watchman, who is also chairman of the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development, will join Shelly; Tex G. Hall, chairman of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation; Jefferson Keel, president of the National Congress of American Indians; and other tribal leaders in the discussion. Former Navajo Nation Chairman Peter MacDonald and Chief Earl Old Person, a council member of the Blackfeet Nation, will address “How the Indian Energy Movement Began.” On Wednesday, Deswood Tome, special adviser to Shelly, and Phillip Harris, president of Tres Amigas LLC, will discuss “A Comprehensive Energy Approach: Coal, Natural Gas and Renewables.” Wayne Greenberg, CEO of Sun Number LLC and founding member of the Cleantech Industry Association, will deliver the keynote address Tuesday. Greenberg is scheduled to speak at a noon luncheon about the national energy overview of where the industry is going. The conference will bring together Native American, Alaska Natives and First Nations-Canadian tribes and organizations to build nation-tonation partnerships in New Mexico. “Nation to nation is the new frontier in Indian country,” Jim Gray, conference moderator and former principal chief of the Osage Nation, stated in a news release. “Finding the right synergies can produce positive outcomes both politically and economically. Better still, it is the ultimate expression of tribal sovereignty in the modern era. “Today’s global economy has often left out Indian Country and I see this conference developing an effective voice in providing feedback to international and federal initiatives that may affect development on tribal lands,” he said. The conference will feature a range of breakout sessions about tribal energy case studies, current issues regarding energy and the environment, economics, risk factors, legal issues, financing structures, and economic development in the international energy arena. On Wednesday, the “Nation to Nation – Building International Partnerships” interactive session will target the challenges and opportunities of how Indian sovereign nations can engage in the national or international commerce and trade arena, according to Charmaine Jackson, conference coordinator. The session will include energy development in Indian Country as both an economic and governmental exercise in self-determination. At the core of the discussion will be having effective governing institutions build around sound principles of tribal sovereignty. “Indian nations are sovereign nations and can enter into trade and commerce on that basis,” Roger Fragua, conference co-convener, said. “Speaking nation to nation regarding energy development is important and in many ways we are walking down the same trail,” Richard Glenn, vice president of Arctic Slope Regional Corp., said. “Common experiences, problems and solutions, once shared just amongst each other, is now another tie that binds us together as Native people.”
Posted on: Fri, 07 Jun 2013 23:40:52 +0000
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