Energy justice in Tribal communities highlighted in story map

November 24, 2023

The future of energy and its impacts on Tribal communities

Solar panel delivery and installation Our energy systems are undergoing a transition to clean energy. That transition must be just. A just energy transition must maximize benefits and avoid harms to Tribal communities.

High demand for clean energy requires finding sites for clean energy projects. Many project developers look at indigenous land or resources when siting projects.

View the story map, Energy Justice in Tribal Communities, that highlights energy challenges that some indigenous peoples and Tribes face. It also honors the work of Tribes to advance clean energy, with a focus on Tribes in the Pacific Northwest.

Protester of Thacker Pass lithium mine. Image courtesy of Max Wilbert.

About the story map authors

Arrowleaf balsamroot brings color to the hillsides above the proposed Thacker Pass lithium mine site. Image courtesy of Max Wilbert.

The College to County, also known as the C2C mentorship program, provides college students from underrepresented communities with paid summer internships. The program increases participants' understanding of career pathways at the county, with focused mentorship and professional development opportunities.

Story map authors, Annabelle Rousseau and Kiomi Pavlock, were selected as College to County Energy, Climate and Equity Interns with the Office of Sustainability in summer of 2023.

Mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) in Nevada’s Humboldt county. Image courtesy of Max Wilbert.

Annabelle Rousseau (she/her/hers) is a recent graduate in Environmental Studies and English from Lewis & Clark College in Portland, OR. Her undergraduate research focused on public discourse around dam removal and Tribal involvement in environmental campaigns. During her internship with the Office of Sustainability, she researched energy poverty. Annabelle is interested in a career in environmental justice, focusing on equity issues. She is an enrolled member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe.

Kiomi Pavlock (she/her) is expected to graduate in Fall 2023 from Portland State University with a Bachelors of Science in Environmental Studies and a double minor in geography and sustainability. During her internship with the Office of Sustainability, she researched energy justice and urban forestry. She took part in the Green Gresham Healthy Gresham Tree Team, inventorying street trees and updating the ArcGIS Online database to further understand urban heat island effect. She is interested in a career relating to sustainable communities. She is Chippewa-Cree and an enrolled citizen of the Suquamish Tribe.