• PLAYLIST: White House Tribal Nations Summit – Day 1

Tribal leaders and federal officials participate in a panel at the White House Tribal Nations Summit on December 6, 2023.

The panel was titled “Protecting Tribal Homelands in an Era of Climate Change.” Participants follow:

• Wahleah Johns, Director of Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs, Department of Energy (Moderator)
• Nancy James, Chief of Gwichyaa Zhee Gwich’in Tribal Council, Native Village of Fort Yukon
• Tyson Johnston, Director of Self-Governance, Quinault Nation
• Jennifer Granholm, Secretary, Department of Energy
• Brenda Mallory, Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality, White House
• Bryan Newland, Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs, Department of the Interior

The summit took place over two days at the headquarters of the Department of the Interior in Washington, D.C.

Wahleah Johns (Navajo), director of Department of Energy Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs, opens panel on Protecting Tribal Homelands in the Era of Climate Change at 2023 White House Tribal Nations Summit. #WHTNS #DC #ClimateChange #TribalHomelands @DOEIndianEnergy pic.twitter.com/WBMf52y47D

— indianz.com (@indianz) December 6, 2023

“Let me give you a reality check”: Chief Nancy James of Native Village of Fort Yukon in #Alaska says climate change has led to rising temperatures in her Gwichyaa Zhee Gwich'in community in Arctic Circle, causing food security problems and other issues. #WHTNS #ClimateChange #DC pic.twitter.com/ZrBA3Hnsac

— indianz.com (@indianz) December 6, 2023

Tyson Johnston serves as Self-Governance Director for Quinault Nation. He's also on task force to relocate one of tribe's communities in #Washington. Climate change and rising water levels have caused flooding, landslides and other problems in village of Taholah. @quinaultnation pic.twitter.com/228xXS1UJm

— indianz.com (@indianz) December 6, 2023

“We want to do this in a very broad way”: Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm outlines projects @ENERGY that have helped Indian Country address climate change in tribal communities across the nation. @SecGranholm pic.twitter.com/XyVsS8MtwN

— indianz.com (@indianz) December 6, 2023

“We have historic funding thanks to this president”: Brenda Mallory, Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality at the White House, cites record levels of investment to help tribes address climate change, restore homelands and co-manage federal lands. @BrendaMallory46 @WHCEQ pic.twitter.com/uRGCiDFl2O

— indianz.com (@indianz) December 6, 2023

"For the first time since the Indian Reorganization Act was passed almost 100 years ago, this administration has completed rules to make that process easier": Tribal leaders applaud as Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Bryan Newland announces final fee-to-trust regulations. pic.twitter.com/tSnPIVnmZ5

— indianz.com (@indianz) December 6, 2023

“We don’t feel it’s fair to us”: During question and answer session, leaders from Timbisha Shoshone Tribe in #California and Aquinnah Wampanoag Tribe in #Massachusetts say Biden administration’s energy initiatives–"clean" and wind–are impacted sacred sites and their homelands. pic.twitter.com/GqFKGUtZir

— indianz.com (@indianz) December 6, 2023