Minerals and Mining on Indian Lands

The objectives of the Energy and Mineral Development Program are to: (1) provide funds to Tribes to perform technical evaluations of the energy (both renewable and conventional) and mineral resource potential of Indian reservations; (2) provide Tribes with geological, geophysical and engineering reports, maps, and other data concerning their energy and mineral resources; (3) provide Tribes technical assistance on using and interpreting assessment information so that Tribes can understand and plan for the potential development of these resources; and (4) provide Tribes with an outreach vehicle to promote their lands and resources to potential partners if they so desire. Those projects that fell into economic development categories will be considered for funding through the Office of Indian Energy and Economic Development.

Federally Recognized Indian Tribes and Individual American Indian mineral owners.

Energy and Mineral Assessments: Proposals are evaluated according to technical merits of the mandatory elements of the proposal. Additionally, selection criteria for ranking contain six criteria: (1) Resource Potential; (2) Commodity Marketability; (3) Economic Benefit, (4) Willingness to Develop and Commitment to the Project; (5) Budget Completeness, Cost Reasonableness, Cost Realism, and Detail, and (6) Adequacy of the Technical Proposal and Statement of Work. Applications are scored on the clarity of its executive summary, the status and commitment behind the overarching project, the viability of its economic or financial impacts, the alignment and quality of its scope of work and deliverables, and the clarity and justification of its budget.

Fiscal year 2025: Combined heat and power feasibility study, residential energy assessment, geothermal energy generation assessment, helium resource assessment, oil and gas resource exploration, waste heat generation project, microgrid and natural gas feasibility study, energy feasibility for industrial hub, mineral exploration program, industrial mineral development, Aggregate resource assessment, geothermal resource assessment, 3D seismic study, techno-economic evaluation of nuclear feedstock, horizontal well targeting in oil bearing formations, microgrid feasibility study, energy development feasibility study. Fiscal year 2026: Combined heat and power feasibility study, residential energy assessment, geothermal energy generation assessment, helium resource assessment, oil and gas resource exploration, waste heat generation project, microgrid and natural gas feasibility study, energy feasibility for industrial hub, mineral exploration program, industrial mineral development, Aggregate resource assessment, geothermal resource assessment, 3D seismic study, techno-economic evaluation of nuclear feedstock, horizontal well targeting in oil bearing formations, microgrid feasibility...