Regulation

Kevin Garcia-Galindo | 10.3.2024 5:15 PM

Onerous federal energy regulations that target reservations could be costing American tribes as much as $19 billion in potential earnings from wind and solar energy.

Were regulatory approval barriers for reservations eased, an influx of wealth and job opportunities from renewable energy projects could curb poverty rates in Natives, according to a new study published in the journal Nature Energy. Around 21 percent of Natives live in poverty—the highest of any minority group.

The researchers, from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, estimated the net value of wind and solar based on a combination of off-reservation leases paid to landowners and taxes received by local governments. They predict that tribes and their members could earn about the same........

© Reason.com