White House Leaders Meet with Oklahoma's Energy Experts

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By OU Marketing and Communications

On April 7, U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm and Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff met with Tribal leaders and University of Oklahoma energy experts for a roundtable discussion on how the power and potential of geothermal energy can be harnessed for the benefit of Indigenous communities.

“We are incredibly grateful to have hosted Secretary Granholm, Second Gentleman Emhoff and our Tribal leaders at the University of Oklahoma,” said OU President Joseph Harroz Jr. “Our discussion today honors our shared commitment to working together to develop sustainable energy solutions for people and communities across America. At OU, we leverage more than a century of energy expertise to unlock new energy pathways that will power future generations.”

Tribal Nations met with Department of Energy representatives and OU energy faculty to discuss Oklahoma’s potential for geothermal energy production as a component of energy sovereignty. The discussion also addressed multiple renewable energy resources as vital to energy sustainability and economic security.

The Department of Energy presented the guests with the White House’s newly published “Guidebook to the Inflation Reduction Act’s Clean Energy and Climate Investments of Indian Country.”

In addition to Grahholm and Emhoff, panelists included: 

  • Bill Anoatubby, Governor, Chickasaw Nation 
  • John “Rocky” Barrett, Tribal Chairman, Citizen Potawatomi Nation
  • Jim Collard, Director of Planning and Economic Development, Citizen Potawatomi Nation
  • Matthew Dannenberg, Tribal Liaison, U.S. Department of Energy
  • Tim Filley, Director, Institute for Resilient Environmental and Energy Systems, OU
  • Tana Fitzpatrick, Associate Vice President of Tribal Relations, Native Nations Center, OU
  • Joseph Harroz Jr., President, OU
  • PaaWee Rivera, Senior Advisor and Tribal Affairs Director, the White House
  • Saaed Salehi, Associate Professor, Mewbourne College of Earth and Energy, OU
  • Li Song, Lloyd G. and Joyce Austin Presidential Professor, Gallogly College of Engineering, OU
  • Reggie Wassana, Governor, Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribe
  • Micah White, CEO, Muscogee (Creek) Nation Tribal Utility Authority
  • James Williams, Director, Office of Environmental Services, Muscogee (Creek) Nation.                                                                                                                                                                                      

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