Native American voices are finally factoring into energy projects – a hydropower ruling is a victory for environmental justice on tribal lands
- Written by Emily Benton Hite, Assistant Professor of Sociology and Anthropology, Saint Louis University
The U.S. has a long record of extracting resources on Native lands and ignoring tribal opposition, but a decision by federal energy regulators to deny permits for seven proposed hydropower projects suggests that tide may be turning.
As the U.S. shifts from fossil fuels to clean energy, developers are looking for sites to generate electricity from...