APRIL 2024 | 51 THE OKLAHOMA BAR JOURNAL in energy production, but they could readily export surplus energy for economic gain and to support American energy security. However, the potential of Native American energy resources has not yet been realized due primarily to failures by federal agencies responsible for their development. Nearly every tribe in the United States currently has its energy resources under Bureau of Indian Affairs management, which the inspector general of the U.S. Department of the Interior has officially described as “ineffective” and “fundamentally flawed.”5 As a result of inadequate management of tribal energy resources by federal agencies, only a fraction of tribal energy potential has been developed to date. Actual economic benefits to tribal communities have been disproportionately small. OPERATIONALIZING TRIBAL SOVEREIGNTY A clear and urgent need exists for tribal self-governance over their energy resources. The most viable approach is for Native American nations to assert their inherent sovereignty over the Statements or opinions expressed in the Oklahoma Bar Journal are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Oklahoma Bar Association, its officers, Board of Governors, Board of Editors or staff.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTk3MQ==