PHOENIX – A bustling room of tribal leaders, state officials and community members quieted as Hopi Tribe Chairman Lamar Keevama began a prayer in the Hopi language to kick off Arizona’s Tribal Energy Summit & Workshop.

Hosted by the Arizona Governor’s Office of Resiliency and Arizona Governor’s Office of Tribal Relations, the meeting sought to strengthen partnerships between tribal nations and the state. Held on Tuesday, Sept. 22, at the State Capitol Executive Tower, it was the summit's second year.

While last year’s summit brought more than 200 participants, this year’s group of about 70 allowed for more focused discussions and potential action on energy conservation efforts, community resilience, funding opportunities and disaster management, said Jason Chavez, director of Tribal Affairs for Governor’s Office of Tribal Relations. 

“The purpose and goal of today is to come together to share our vision for what energy future looks like in the state of Arizona, whether that be within the state, within state trust lands, or county governments or on the 22 tribal lands within the state of Arizona,” Chavez said to attendees. 

Experts ranging from adjunct professors to directors to group research managers spoke during the panels to share information, insight and possible solutions. 

“These events are really important because it brings together people who aren't always in the room together to talk through some of the key issues that are arising and that create barriers to project planning and development,” said Maren Mahoney, director of the Arizona Governor’s Office of Resiliency. 

Energy reliability, community resilience and water management conservation were among the topics discussed. 

“Access to water is a critical health issue,” said Ginger Sykes Torres, a Navajo Nation member and vice president of resiliency programs for Local First Arizona, a nonprofit focused on equitable economic development. “I think we saw during COVID what a critical issue it is for our communities, and like you said, water is integrated so much with our energy systems.” 

Torres said water management integrated into energy systems could address tribes’ water shortages. She said some tribal communities are already putting solar panels over canals, which preserves water and creates electricity needed to pump water to fields.  

Gabe Lavine, director of Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs, recognized that each community has different challenges, from migration to emergency planning to power outages. 

Another concern for their communities, tribal leaders said, is that they often are not part of solution discussions. In many circumstances of planning, tribal communities do not understand or know what is being planned so they resist the tribal leaders’ solutions.  

“Nothing happens until the (tribal) council says it happens,” Pilar Thomas, adjunct professor at University of Arizona and Arizona State University, said. “So eventually, you have to educate the council on what you're trying to do. But nothing also happens if the community is not for it.”

Thomas suggested involving three groups to educate on plans and developments: the tribal government, trusted councils and communities. 

Some speakers touched on tensions between the state and tribal nations when it comes to tribal sovereignty. State Sen. Theresa Hatathlie, a Democrat who represents northeastern Arizona, asked why the state of Arizona does not give tax credits for nation-building activities.  

“We talk about state and tribal relations in any conversation,” Hatathlie said. “The response is we respect sovereignty, which is great, but that doesn't mean that we take a back seat and let the tribal nations flounder trying to ask the right questions.”

Chavez said the summits ultimately come down to developing long-term relationships and building trust. 

Since Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs established the Arizona Governor’s Office of Resiliency in 2023, Chavez and Mahoney said they have seen those state-tribal relationships grow. 

The goal for the state is to not tell tribes what they should be doing but to support their efforts and exchange ideas and build connections, Chavez said. 

“There is a large appetite to engage,” Mahoney said. “Everyone is well aware of the changing landscape when it comes to energy production, energy resource needs, and recognizing that they present significant potential challenges, but also opportunities.”

This article first appeared on Cronkite News and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.