Regional Climate Collaboratives Annual Report Year 2: Tribal Energy and Climate Collaborative (TECC)

About the Collaborative 

The Tribal Energy Climate Collaborative (TECC) is a collaborative made up of the 25 member Tribes of the Southern California Tribal Chairman’s Association (SCTCA). TECC is led by the Pala Band of Mission Indians, SCTCA, and Prosper Sustainably, a Tribal-serving consulting firm. TECC is focused on increasing the capacity of member Tribes to pursue projects related to clean energy, climate change, and related economic and workforce development projects.    

TECC focuses primarily on three areas:  

• Capacity building and technical assistance 

• Economic and workforce development 

• Policy and regulatory advocacy on climate and energy 

TECC supports member Tribes by matching them with available funding and partnership opportunities and offering other capacity-building support, such as grant writing, workforce training, energy project planning, and more. TECC also provides education and training on climate and energy topics, including through grants from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC).  

Activities Conducted in Year 2  

In Year 2 of the RCC program, TECC strengthened its position as a technical assistance (TA) provider for Tribes through a series of trainings and resources. The team reprised its regular Tribal Energy and Climate Collaborative eXchange (TECC-X) meetings to share cross-sector updates, knowledge, and opportunities related to climate and energy projects impacting Tribes.  

Furthermore, TECC member Tribes pursued more than a dozen climate, energy, and workforce development grant funding opportunities. Notably, the Barona Band of Mission Indians was awarded a $3 million California Energy Commission (CEC) Tribal Electric Vehicle (EV) Infrastructure Grant that includes TA to TECC Tribes to conduct EV infrastructure and fleet transition planning and provides hands-on training and workforce development opportunities related to EV infrastructure on the Barona Reservation.    

The collaborative expanded partnerships in Year 2, including partnering with the Energy Coalition on a successful application for a $1.38 million grant from the San Diego Community Power Regional Energy Network Public Sector Programs Implementation No. 25-003 (SDREN) Tribal Engagement Program. This grant will support the collaborative to develop, propose, and implement energy-related initiatives and support sustainability, resilience, and economic development efforts within Tribal communities.  

The SCTCA was also awarded a $933,000 grant on behalf of TECC through California Jobs First’s Regional Investment Initiative to develop an innovation ecosystem to support small businesses in the clean economy sector. The ecosystem will focus on developing a complementary portfolio of clean energy and climate change technologies, services, and solutions that support and enable Tribes’ success, while strengthening economic resiliency and improving the conditions for economic growth in the SCTCA region.   

The collaborative has also been affected by the loss and rescission of federal funding for climate, energy, and Tribal-led projects. For example, seven SCTCA/TECC Tribes were awarded funding of more than $5.3 million through the Bureau of Indian Affairs Tribal Community Resilience Grant Program, of which at least $4.3 million has been rescinded and/or the remain unfinalized with contracts. The awards would have enabled projects such as resilience centers, improving drinking water and wastewater systems, improving safety, managing forests, and developing plans to inform resilience efforts. Furthermore, the National Science foundation rescinded more than $700,000 of TECC’s nearly $1 million Tribal Energy Innovation Accelerator award, which would have supported the collaborative’s access to innovative clean energy technologies and development opportunities.  

Outcomes 

• Sought nominations, approved a slate of candidates, and established an Executive Board for the collaborative.  

• Collaborative members applied to more than 13 federal and state funding opportunities from agencies such as the Department of Energy, Department of Transportation, Environmental Protection Agency, and CEC. 

• Partnered with InnoNative Consulting to conduct outreach and interviews for strategic planning and development.  

• Partnered with Los Angeles County to collaborate on the Southern California Equitable Building Decarbonization (SoCal EBD) program to conduct outreach and engage the region’s Tribes on participating in SoCal EBD program opportunities. 

• Developed partnerships and grant applications that led to $3.5 million in grant funding to advance TECC initiatives.  

• Initiated two training series for all California Native American Tribes: Advancing Tribes’ Interests at the CPUC and the Tribal Energy & Climate Collaborative eXchange, or “TECC-X.”  

What’s Next 

Looking forward, the Tribal Energy and Climate Collaborative will continue to pursue activities in its three focus areas, including:  

• Exploring partnerships between Tribes and cleantech business opportunities to drive Tribes’ economic development and climate resilience. For example, TECC has identified and evaluated opportunities for manufacturing facilities and pilot/demonstration projects on Tribal lands that provide community-led opportunities to build and diversify sustainable revenue streams. 

• Providing a range of TA to TECC Tribes, including support identifying and applying for funding opportunities that align with the Tribe’s funding priorities such as climate vulnerability assessments and adaptation planning. 

• Increasing the capacity of TECC Tribes and other California Native American Tribes to identify and engage in relevant grant funding opportunities and regulatory matters, including with the CPUC, investor-owned utilities, and key state and federal agencies.