Native American Mining and Energy Sovereignty Initiative

A Payne Institute Initiative at the Colorado School of Mines Supporting the Self-determination of Tribal Communities in Energy and Mining

“The Tribe’s inherent right to exercise its sovereignty, deciding to develop reservation resources to benefit the people and earth in which it serves is powerful beyond measure. I am in full support of the Native American Mining and Energy Sovereignty Initiative and its efforts in Native American Mining and Energy education.”

Shane Seibel
Executive Director
Southern Ute Growth Fund

MISSION

The Native American Mining and Energy Sovereignty (NAMES) Initiative is part of the Payne Institute for Public Policy at the Colorado School of Mines, one of the world’s foremost universities of mineral and energy engineering. The Initiative was established to be a strong supporter of tribal communities, an effective convener to industry and a thought leader in the national conversation on new critical mineral and energy development in the western U.S. The Initiative will empower tribal communities through knowledge and collaboration to find financial success in the energy transition while gaining energy security and sovereignty for their people.

GOALS

We have several short, medium, and long-term goals for the Initiative and its development and hopefully will lead to its growth and importance in Indian Country.

Development of a Fund to support Native American students, their admission, retention, development, and graduation at the undergraduate and graduate levels in majors relating to Energy and Minerals.

Development of a Fund to support Research and Development in Energy and Minerals relating and of interest to Tribes, in conjunction with Tribes, Tribal Colleges and Universities, Institutions of Higher Learning, National Laboratories, and Private Research Organizations.

Development of Native American STEM activities, curriculum, and programs, especially those related to Energy and Minerals.

Development of an entity/process to provide technical assistance and capacity building services in the areas of Energy and Minerals to Tribes, Tribal Organizations, and Tribal Communities.

EMPOWERING WITH KNOWLEDGE

The Initiative will offer a spectrum of programs that leverage Mines resources to support mutual learning and information sharing with our tribal partners. Our plan includes:

• A tribal scholarship program
• Teaching and research fellowships for graduate students and faculty
• Offering situational analyses and insights of key technical issues
• A CSM President’s Advisory Council on Native American Affairs

EMPOWERING THROUGH COLLABORATION

The NAMES Initiative offers a fresh collaborative approach, supported by novel lines of communication, to take on the challenges of mineral and energy development in Indian Country. Working with tribal governments, reservation communities, industry leaders and government agencies, NAMES offers our tribal partners unprecedented information access through a variety of collaborative events, including:

• Large symposiums on broad tribal and industry subjects
• Single-topic focused workshops
• Small group facilitated stakeholder meetings

GOVERNANCE

Initially, each collaborator, NTEA and Payne, will supply one member each to a Board of Directors (Board). Once the Board is seated and functioning, it shall work on developing a larger Board at a time that it chooses. Also, a Board of Advisors (Advisors) will be developed by the Board made up of representatives from initially each of the Tribes of Colorado and then other Tribes as the Board decides from time to time.

COMMUNICATION

The collaborators, NTEA and Payne, agree to communicate in a timely manner and via phone, electronic mail, virtually, or in person.

For more information about the Initiative for Native American Mining and Energy Sovereignty Research Area at the Payne Institute for Public Policy, please contact our Deputy Director, Greg Clough, at gclough@mines.edu or NAMES Director Dr. Richard Luarkie, at richard.luarkie@mines.edu.

PARTNER ENGAGEMENT AND SUPPORT

The NAMES Initiative is only as strong as the engagement and support of our tribal, industry and government partners.  This growing community of NAMES Initiative partners include:

The National Tribal Energy Association (NTEA)

The Southern Ute Indian Tribe

Ivanhoe Electric

Resolution Copper

BHP

Newmont

Alfred P. Sloan Foundation

Marathon Petroleum Corporation

Energy Fuels

IN THE NEWS

TERA Puts an Indian Tribe in Charge of Its Energy 8/21/2026

TERA Puts an Indian Tribe in Charge of Its Energy

Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian writes about how on May 11 the Interior Department approved the nation’s first Tribal Energy Resource Agreement. It allows the Southern Ute Indian Tribe of southwestern Colorado to approve its own energy-related leases, rights of way and business agreements without federal sign-off.  August 21, 2026.

Resolution Copper Establishes $54 Million Tribal Trust 7/30/2026

Resolution Copper Establishes $54 Million Tribal Trust

Payne Institute Native American Mining and Energy Sovereignty (NAMES) Director Richard Luarkie contributes to this article about how Resolution Copper has provided $54 million to establish the Resolution Copper Tribal Trust, a perpetual endowment that will deliver annual funding to eleven Tribal Nations located in Arizona and New Mexico.  July 30, 2026.

NAMES Awards $72,500 in Scholarships to Support the Next Generation of Native Leaders 6/15/2026

NAMES Awards $72,500 in Scholarships to Support the Next Generation of Native Leaders

The Payne Institute NAMES Initiative is proud to announce the recipients of its 2026–2027 NAMES Scholarship Program.  Following a competitive review process that drew more than 40 applications, NAMES awarded seven undergraduate scholarships of $7,500 each and one graduate scholarship of $20,000, representing a total investment of $72,500 in Native student success, leadership development, and workforce preparation. June 15, 2026.

In Indian Country, Data Centers Come With a Familiar Threat of Colonialism. These Organizers Are Fighting Back. 4/7/2026

In Indian Country, Data Centers Come With a Familiar Threat of Colonialism. These Organizers Are Fighting Back.

The Payne Institute Native American Mining and Energy Sovereignty (NAMES) previously published commentary was cited in this paper about how when a data center proposal popped up on the Muscogee Reservation, these activists fought to stop it. Their work isn’t over yet.  April 7, 2027.

Powered by Place 1/8/2026

Powered by Place

Payne Institute Native American Mineral and Energy Sovereignty (NAMES) Director Richard Luarkie, Shane Seibel, and Director Morgan Bazilian write about how Native Nations stand at the threshold of a rare and defining opportunity because the global energy landscape is reorganizing the economy, and the lands Indigenous peoples have collectively owned for thousands of years now sit at the center of what the world needs.  January 8, 2025.  

Articulating Value in Tribal Mineral Development 1/7/2028

Articulating Value in Tribal Mineral Development

Payne Institute Native American Mining and Energy Sovereignty (NAMES) Research Associate Alex Brunson writes about how in Indian Country federal investment at historic levels and global demand for critical minerals accelerating, the question is no longer whether resource-based development in Indian Country can occur, but how it will be structured; extractively and short-term, or sovereign, research-driven, and value-added.  January 7, 2026.

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