Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced a new website to help tribes develop their energy resources.

The Tribal Environmental and Energy Information Clearinghouse was developed by the Office of Indian Energy at the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Argonne National Laboratory at the Department of Energy. It provides information about traditional and renewable energy resource development and their impacts.

"The Tribal Environmental and Energy Information Clearinghouse initiative is an excellent example of how we can support the goal of increasing traditional and renewable energy development on tribal lands, thereby enhancing economic development opportunities for Indian tribes, while ensuring that such activities are conducted in an environmentally sound manner," Salazar said.

"As concerned stewards of their natural resources, tribes will be able to use the clearinghouse as a convenient, authoritative resource for information, both to use in the protection of their environmental and cultural values and to maximize their economic development opportunities," he added.

Salazar spoke last week at a Washington, D.C., summit held by the Council of Energy Resource Tribes. He said President Barack Obama is committed to helping tribes develop their resources.