Tribal Program

The California Energy Commission’s Tribal Program helps the organization conduct effective government-to-government cooperation, collaboration, communication, and other activities with California Native American tribes.

The program has many functions, including:

  • Ensuring effective consultation between the Energy Commission and tribes to advance the Energy Commission’s mission and provide meaningful tribal input into the development of regulations, rules, policies, plans, and activities that may affect them.
  • Conducting outreach to tribes on topics such as California offshore wind energy planning, tribal energy funding, and tribal cultural resources assessments.
  • Conducting tribal cultural resources assessments such as climate change assessments related to traditional ecological knowledge and studies on cultural landscapes.
  • Assisting in administering energy research and project funding opportunities eligible to tribes.
  • Hosting or sponsoring tribal energy events to promote collaboration and relationship building between the Energy Commission and tribal leaders and their staff.

Available programs:

  • Energy Research and Development Division
    • EPIC – The Electric Program Investment Charge (EPIC) program invests in scientific and technological research to accelerate the transformation of the electricity sector to meet the state’s energy and climate goals.
    • Natural Gas Research Program - The Natural Gas Research Program invests in technologies and solutions that help the natural gas sector support California’s energy and environmental goals.
  • Transportation
    • Clean Transportation Program – The program invests up to $100 million annually, in addition to General Fund dollars, leveraging public and private investments to accelerate the development of clean, efficient, low-carbon technologies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and petroleum dependence. Each year, the Energy Commission prepares an investment plan to determine funding priorities and opportunities.
    • CALeVIP – The California Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Project (CALeVIP) offers incentives for the purchase and installation of electric vehicle charging infrastructure at publicly accessible sites throughout California.
    • EnergIIZE – The Energy Infrastructure Incentives for Zero-Emission Commercial Vehicles program is the nation's first commercial vehicle fleet infrastructure incentive project. EnergIIZE provides incentives for zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) infrastructure equipment for medium- and heavy-duty battery electric and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles in California.
  • Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency
    • BUILD is a residential building decarbonization program that provides incentives and technical assistance to support the adoption of advanced building design and near zero emission technologies in new all-electric low-income homes.
    • REAP - The Renewable Energy for Agriculture Program (REAP) offers grants that encourage the installation of renewable energy technologies serving agricultural operations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
    • ECAA - Energy Conservation Assistant Act (ECAA) loan program offering low-interest rate loans to fund energy efficiency, renewable energy and storage projects - eligible program participants expanded to California Native American Tribes authorized in 2021.
    • CalSHAPE - The California Schools Healthy Air, Plumbing, and Efficiency Program (CalSHAPE) provides funding to upgrade heating, air conditioning, and ventilation (HVAC) systems in public schools and replaces noncompliant plumbing fixtures and appliances that fail to meet water efficiency standards.
    • Equitable Building Decarbonization Program (Upcoming) - The goals of the Equitable Building Decarbonization Program are to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in homes and advance energy equity. The Direct Install Program provides decarbonization retrofits to low- and moderate-income households. The Statewide Incentive Program incentivizes the increased adoption of low-carbon technologies.
    • CERIP (Upcoming) - The Clean Energy Reliability Investment Plan (CERIP) addresses a requirement in Senate Bill 846  for the California Energy Commission to develop a $1 billion investment plan for clean energy resources. This plan provides justification and recommendations for clean energy investments that accelerate the deployment of clean energy resources, support demand response, assist ratepayers, and increase energy reliability.
    • DEBA (Upcoming) - The Distributed Electricity Backup Assets (DEBA) Program incentivizes the construction of cleaner and more efficient distributed energy assets that would serve as on-call emergency supply or load reduction for the state’s electrical grid during extreme events.
  • Climate
    • California’s Fifth Climate Change Assessment Tribal Research Grant Program - Leveraging diverse expertise throughout the state, the Fifth Assessment will contribute to the scientific foundation for understanding climate-related vulnerability throughout California. Funding through the Tribal Research Grant Program is available to support tribally led projects focused on climate research, traditional ecological knowledge, and similar projects deemed a priority by Tribes.
  • Additional Resources
    • Empower Innovation – Empower Innovation is the California Energy Commission’s free online networking platform created to help connect potential project partners seeking clean energy grant funding opportunities.

CEC Leadership

Office of the Public Advisor, Energy Equity, and Tribal Affairs

  • Mona Badie, Public Advisor
  • Sierra Graves, Director of Tribal Affairs and Tribal Liaison
  • Davina Whitethorne, Tribal Engagement Specialist

Division Tribal Liaisons

  • Mithra Moezzi, Energy Research and Development Division
  • Sean Anayah, Energy Research and Development Division
  • Sarah Birnbaum, Fuels and Transportation Division
  • Quenby Lum, Energy Assessments Division         
  • Hally Cahssai, Reliability, Renewable Energy and Decarbonization Incentives Division
  • Monica Steele, Reliability, Renewable Energy and Decarbonization Incentives Division
  • Elicia Yoffeel, Efficiency Division
  • Gabriel Roark, Siting, Transmission and Environmental Protection Division
  • Rachel MacDonald, Siting, Transmission and Environmental Protection Division
  • John Massengill, Office of Governmental and International Affairs
  • Michael Ward, Media and Public Communications Office        
  • Eilene Cary, Contracts, Grants and Loans         
  • Cory Irish, Chief Counsel’s Office
  • Kelli Nishimori, Chief Counsel’s Office
  • Sandra Nakagawa, IEPR Office

Upcoming Events

No events are available at this time.

Contact

Sierra Graves
Director of Tribal Affairs and Tribal Liaison
tribalaffairs@energy.ca.gov

Related Links

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Tribal Program