Monday, July 13, 2026 – Tribal solar projects shine on without much federal support

Tribal officials and renewable energy advocates are celebrating a major legal victory after a Minnesota administrative judge ruled in favor of the Upper Sioux Community’s solar-powered casino. The dispute centers on the tribe’s right to supplement its power with on-site solar energy, while also highlighting the friction between tribal sovereignty and local utility monopolies. In federal court, a separate legal battle is underway to reclaim frozen funding from the $7 billion “Solar for All” program. Despite the federal standstill, Minnesota tribes like the Red Lake and White Earth Nations are forging ahead, successfully building their own solar infrastructure to secure energy independence. GUESTS Robert Blake (Red Lake Nation), founder and CEO of Solar Bear and executive director of Native Sun Community Power Development Nathan Mathews, executive director of the White Earth Nation Tribal Utility Commission Talia Martin (Shoshone-Bannock), co-executive director of Tribal Energy Alternatives   Break 1 Music: Encouragement Pipe Song (song) Joseph Shields, Jr. (artist) Wahancanka [Remember Me Grandfather]  (album) Break 2 Music: In the Time of Chiefs (song) Estun-Bah (artist) From Where the Sun Rises (album)